


Don't Trust A Perfect Person

by giftedwiththought



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hate to Love, Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, Neighbors AU, Pining, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Teasing, joshler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-08-14 21:41:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8029843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giftedwiththought/pseuds/giftedwiththought
Summary: After years of isolation, Tyler's life is thrown into choas when Josh Dun moves into the apartment next door. In other words, the neighbours AU that no one asked for





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> btw this is probably going to be a fairly long fic, so stay posted for updates :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I just thought I'd try something fun and different! Hope y'all enjoy!

 Tyler Joseph had lived alone, was living alone, and always wanted to live alone. He had a very limited circle of friends, and his favourite activity was to spend time alone. It wasn’t that he disliked other people; it was just that he seemed to always need time by himself, whether that was to read, watch TV, or write music. The apartment next door was knows to be the 'problem apartment'; it not only had problems with the water and electricity, the walls seemed to be paper thin, and the bed rather creaky. No one had lived in it for as long as Tyler could remember, but this wasn’t a problem. That was the way he liked it. Yet in less than a week, Tyler’s perfect little world had come crashing down.

 //

 Tyler lay in bed, the darkness surrounding him in a blanket of silence. He smiled. He loved the night; it was quiet, it was peaceful, it was – Tyler stopped. The darkness was no longer silent. A steady banging noise was seeping through the paper thin walls, throbbing its way into Tyler’s head. He sat up in annoyance. What. The fuck. Who on earth could be making that awful racket? Climbing out of bed, Tyler listened for a moment to the repeated hammering on the other side of the wall. Of course. The new neighbour. Why they hadn’t been put off by the faulty gas and electrics, or the way the water goes cold during a hot shower, Tyler would never know. He checked his clock. 1AM. Right, Tyler thought, fuming. The new ‘neighbour’ was not going to get away with this, he could assure you.

 Marching out of his bedroom, Tyler hammered on his neighbour’s door with frustration, wondering whether the offender would even notice that someone was trying to get his attention. To his surprise, the door opened.

“IF YOU DON’T MIND,” Tyler began in a loud voice. “ _Some_ of us are trying to-” for the second time that night, Tyler stopped. He tried to remember how to breathe. In front of him stood the most gorgeous human being he had ever seen in his life. Tyler’s mouth dropped open as his eyes scanned his new neighbour’s appearance.

 Bright blue hair rested upon a tanned forehead and deep brown eyes that Tyler seemed to be more than transfixed upon. The man was wearing tantalisingly tight jeans, and a loose t-shirt that exposed his muscles to Tyler in a way that made a blush form across his cheeks. A few beads of sweat lay upon his forearms, and Tyler lowered his eyes to the sliver of skin between the man’s shirt and his jeans. Was that an extremely prominent V-line that Tyler could see? Definitely. Not that it mattered. No way was Tyler attracted to this annoying new neighbour. In fact, he hated him for ruining his night. It didn’t matter how hot he was. Not that Tyler thought he was hot, either.

 “Sorry,” the man grinned shyly. “I was just practising the new drum kit I bought. I didn’t realise that you’d be able to hear me.” He brushed a bead of sweat away from his bulging biceps, and Tyler ignored the way his jeans suddenly became uncomfortable tight at the sight of this sweaty, muscular man.

“Oh brilliant,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’re a drummer. That won’t be a racket at all.” The man laughed genuinely, as if he thought Tyler was joking.

“Anyway, I’m Josh, in case you were wondering.” Josh held out a hand, and Tyler shook it reluctantly, trying to pretend he couldn’t feel the way that sparks shot through his body when their skin touched.

“Tyler,” he replied. “What kind of moron moves into this apartment anyway?” he asked bitingly, still frustrated from his sleep interruption.

“It was all I could afford, really. Anyway, I’m glad I chose this apartment.”

“What? Why?”

Josh grinned, flashing Tyler perfectly white teeth.

“Because now I get to live next door to you,” he said, his eyes drifting up and down Tyler’s body as he bit his lip. Tyler blushed furiously. Not only was this guy ridiculously hot, he was apparently able to seduce Tyler with just one glance. How could anyone be so annoyingly attractive? First he was hammering drums in the middle of the night, and now he was standing in front of Tyler with a flirtatious gaze. Tyler hated it. He hated him, the ‘new neighbour’.

Well, he thought, straightening his back. Two could play at that game.

“I hope I see you around then…Josh,” Tyler said his name slowly and carefully, dampening his bottom lip with his tongue. He glanced over Josh’s chest and leaned forward slightly. Josh’s mouth began to open a little. Their eyes met. There was a pause. Tyler grinned, winking at his neighbour and slamming the door in his face. Laughing to himself, Tyler knelt down by the door.

“Don’t wake me up again,” he whispered through the keyhole. After hearing Josh laugh a little from the other side of the door, Tyler stormed back to his apartment.

That’ll show him, Tyler thought, climbing into bed. Josh wouldn’t be bothering him again.

Little did he know that it had only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave kudos and comments to tell me what you think :) ~ Sarah


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to heat up kinda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd chapter, hope ya enjoy!

Jenna Black - 10AM

_You coming out with me and Mark today?_

Tyler Joseph – 10:01AM

_Nah, sry Jenna. Got woken up by some asshole next door last night and couldn’t get back to sleep_

Jenna Black – 10:03AM

_The new neighbour?? What’s he like? Is he cute??_

Tyler Joseph – 10:03AM

_He plays drums in the middle of the night Jenna_

Jenna Black – 10:04AM

_HE’S CUTE ISN’T HE_

Tyler Joseph – 10:06AM

…

 

Jenna Black – 10:06AM

YOU THINK HE’S HOT DON’T YOU

 

Tyler Joseph – 10:07AM

…

 

Jenna Black – 10:08AM

I’M COMING ROUND

Tyler groaned, and curled up even tighter into his duvet. Jenna was always desperate to set him up with someone, and now it looked like she’d found another poor guy to torture Tyler with. It was hard enough trying to find someone actually attractive, let alone someone who was gay as well. Josh probably wasn’t even gay. Not that Tyler was interested. He hated anyone who disrupted his sleep.

Josh was pretty hot though, Tyler thought to himself. Pretty hot? Josh was the most attractive person he’d ever set eyes on. He thought back to late last night, wondering what Josh’s first impression of Tyler had been. Part of him hoped that he wouldn’t be completely reluctant to stay away from Tyler’s apartment.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the bedroom. Tyler leapt up in surprise, and ran towards the source of the noise. As he stood in his living room, he noticed the rather large hole in the wall, plaster and paint lying in shards upon the floor.

“What the fuck?” Tyler tried to exclaim, his voice a little croaky. He cleared his throat, and looked up. Standing on the other side of the wall, was none other than his next door neighbour. Josh stood with his mouth gaping, clutching a hammer in one hand, and a picture frame in the other.

“There’d better be a good explanation for this,” Tyler said in a quiet voice, suddenly painfully aware that he was only wearing a pair of stripy pyjama bottoms. He could almost feel Josh’s gaze burning through him.

“I don’t know, man. I was just putting up a picture frame, and the wall caved in,” Josh smiled apologetically, running one hand through his messy hair. Tyler tried not to picture his own hands gripping that gorgeous blue hair. Stop, he told himself. This definitely wasn’t the time for inappropriate thoughts. The man had just smashed through his wall, for god’s sake.

“The walls must be really thin, or something,” Josh continued.

“Then why the hell did you try to hammer a picture into one of them?”

“I just really wanted to see you,” Josh grinned. At this, Tyler stifled a laugh, trying to maintain his stern expression. Josh’s face lit up at Tyler’s change of heart, and his demeanour visibly relaxed.

“I love your tattoos, by the way,” he climbed through the rather large hole in the wall, and settled himself on Tyler’s sofa. Tyler blushed a little, and murmured a thank you as Josh’s eyes ran up and down his chest. God, he could make Tyler’s heart race with just a single glance. This was beginning to get out of hand.

“So, what are your plans for today?” Tyler asked, surprised at himself for initiating conversation. Had he forgotten that there was a hole in the wall, or did he just not care?

“Not much, I’ll ring the insurance company, probably,” Josh smiled at him as they both settled on the sofa.

“You’d better.”

“Who put you in charge?” Josh said in a quiet, low voice that sent a spark of arousal straight down between Tyler’s legs. _Holy fuck_ , he thought breathlessly _, I’d give anything for you to take charge of me._

“Maybe I want to call the shots for once,” Josh continued in the same quiet tone. Was he beginning to shift a little closer to Tyler? Or was it just his imagination running away with him? Tyler gulped. His heart seemed to be racing at more than the average speed. Biting his lip, he made eye contact with Josh. They paused, locked in each other’s gaze.

“Ahem,” Jenna cleared her throat from the doorway. “Am I missing something?”

Tyler jumped up from the sofa, the moment ruined. Jenna’s eyes sparkled as she looked from Josh to Tyler. She smiled.

“You left the door unlocked,” she continued, glancing over at the shattered wall. “Not that it matters.”

“Yeah… it was just – I mean – well…” Tyler tried his best to explain the situation, stammering and stumbling all over his words. What actually _had_ happened? Usually he was quite eloquent. It didn’t particularly help that Josh was still sat on the sofa wearing the same innocent expression that he had worn when Tyler first met him in the middle of the night. God, he was so beautiful, Tyler couldn’t help thinking. He’d never met anyone quite like him; Josh was both irritating and perfect at the same time.

“Oh don’t worry,” Jenna grinned once more. “I can see exactly what’s happened here.” She looked between Josh and Tyler with a devious expression on her face.

Oh no, Tyler thought to himself, dread settling in the pit of his stomach. He’d seen that expression on Jenna’s face before. He turned to look at Josh, who was still sat innocently on the sofa. Tyler’s heart seemed to skip a few beats as he watched Josh’s eyes meet his, and he felt like the whole room could hear his erratic breathing. Jenna’s smile had now turned almost demonic.

“Tyler? You ready to go?” Jenna broke the silence, shifting the bag on her shoulder.

“Of course,” he said quickly. He glanced at Josh apologetically.

“Hey, no worries man. I’ll just be getting on with a few things.” Josh stood up as well, winking at Tyler, and returning to his apartment via the hole in the wall.

“When I get back, that mess had better be fixed!” Tyler called after him, attempting to sound as solemn as possible. To be honest, he knew that the wall wouldn’t be fixed in just a few hours, but he wanted to give Josh a reason to feel intimidated by Tyler. After all, it had been Tyler’s apartment first.

As Jenna and Tyler left the room, she turned to him with a smile larger than anything he’d ever seen before. She winked.

“I think you and I have a few things to discuss.

//

“I’m telling you, Jenna, he doesn’t like me. And I don’t like him. At all.”

“Sure,” Jenna dragged out the syllable. She took a bite of her cookie, and crossed her legs beneath the table. The yellow lights of the café created a warm contrast to the October chill outside. 

“What do you think, Mark?” She asked; her voice seemed loud compared to the quiet chatter of the room.

“From the sounds of it, you’re pretty gay, Tyler,” Mark replied, snorting. Jenna rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, like we didn’t know that already.”

Tyler sighed. His friends could be annoying sometimes, especially when it came to relationships. All three of them had been single for more than a year, but it seemed as if they could never stop talking about who Tyler should date next.

“You do like him, don’t you?” Mark asked softly.

“I just-” Tyler began, but he was cut off by Jenna.

“You do!” She exclaimed, slapping her hands on the table.

“He irritates me.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Good point.” Tyler grinned at them both.

Mark and Jenna must know by now that he would never admit to finding _anyone_ remotely worthy of being his boyfriend. Having Josh as his boyfriend wouldn’t be such a bad thing, he thought, biting his lip. A blush formed across his cheeks at the thought of being able to kiss Josh, to hold his hand, to be able to touch him in the way that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since they met.

“Okay, I get your point and all,” Mark began, sharing a sly glance with Jenna. “But you’re blushing Tyler. Would you like to tell us what you’re thinking about?”

Tyler turned an even deeper shade of scarlet. He had to nip this one in the bud or else he would never hear the end of it.

“Jenna?” He asked innocently, glancing up at her forehead. “Is that a spider in your hair?”

He was pretty sure that even Josh could hear her scream.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave comments and kudos guys, ly all ~ Sarah


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's just a short lil filler chapter. Hope you enjoy :)

Opening the door to his apartment, Tyler shrugged off his coat and hung it on the hooks by the door. His trip out with Jenna and Mark had only lasted a brief while, but he was already tired enough to climb straight into bed. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his friends, they just required a lot of energy to interact with, and most of the time Tyler was a pretty laid back person. Yet it wasn’t like that with Josh, Tyler thought back to his neighbour. Josh made him feel…strange. It wasn’t like anything he’d ever experienced before.

Sighing, Tyler started to walk into the living room, wondering how much progress had been made on the hole in the wall. He couldn’t believe that after only one day of living next door, Josh was already beginning to destroy his apartment. Maybe it had been deliberate. Maybe Josh didn’t like him, he thought with a pang of sadness. Not many people did.

Suddenly, Tyler heard a scuffle of feet in the kitchen. _Oh shit,_ his heart began to pound. Had someone broken into his apartment? Staying as still as he could, Tyler tried not to make a sound as he listened in apprehension. Silence. Maybe it had been a mouse? As soon as Tyler started to relax, he heard another thud in the kitchen. _Fucking hell,_ he swore inwardly. That was no mouse. He was certain that someone was in the kitchen. It could be any psychopath, he thought; his breathing was rapid, and he almost danced on the spot as he panicked. What was he going to do? He could be dead by the time the police arrived, and the intruder would definitely be able to hear him dialling 911. There was only one option. Tyler had to face the intruder himself.

Picking up the nearest weapon-like object he could find, Tyler advanced towards the kitchen. He held a large umbrella in his hands, directed away from his body like a spear. Maybe he could hit the burglar with the point end as soon as he entered the kitchen? It was worth a shot. Okay, Tyler thought, reaching forward for the kitchen door knob. He had to do it, and he had to do it fast. Counting under his breath, he prepared himself for battle. _Three…Two…One…_

Tyler flung open the door. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he closed his eyes and pushed the umbrella as hard as he could at the figure in front of him. The end of the umbrella connected with something tall.

“Shit! What the fuck, man?” The intruder swore. They pulled the umbrella away from Tyler, and he gingerly opened his eyes, his hands clenching into fists.

“Oh.” Tyler gulped. He raised his eyes to the intruder’s face.

“Why are you attacking me?” asked Josh Dun. His hair looked a little dishevelled, and his expression seemed hurt.

“I th-thought,” Tyler stumbled over his words, still shaken from the experience. Why was Josh in his apartment, anyway? Tyler took in his neighbour’s appearance.

Josh was not only wearing his usual pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt, but today he sported a floral apron. His hands were covered in flour, and Tyler swore he could see a hint of chocolate smudged on Josh’s cheek.

“What the hell are you doing? I thought someone had broken into my apartment,” Tyler asked in incredulity. Josh blushed.

“Well,” he began, rubbing his jaw. “I felt kinda bad about smashing through your wall, so I decided that I’d bake you a cake to make up for it. I’m pretty good at baking, you know,” he grinned, gesturing around the kitchen. The worktops were also coated in flour, and an enormous cake was beginning to rise in the oven.

“And what was wrong with _your_ kitchen?”

“When the insurance company came round to fix the wall, they found more than a few things wrong with my apartment. They said that they can get it fixed up in a week, but in the meantime I need somewhere to stay. I was thinking that you wouldn’t mind if I stayed here for a bit? It _would_ be pretty convenient,” Josh flashed him a dazzling smile, and Tyler felt himself weaken at the knees. He was more than prepared to let Josh stay in his apartment. Hell, he could move in for all Tyler cared.

“So what d’ya say?” Josh bit his lip, and Tyler felt the sudden urge to bite it for him.

“Sure, I guess you can stay here.” How the hell he managed to stay so calm, Tyler would never know.

“Awesome, thanks dude,” Josh beamed. “I’m just going to go freshen up a bit, if you don’t mind.” He tore off the apron, winking at Tyler, and heading towards the bathroom.

Tyler watched him leave, his eyes glancing over those bulging biceps, that blue hair, those big brown eyes. He sat down on the kitchen floor; his head was spinning. Even being in the same room as Josh was torture. He was never going to survive a week of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONGER I PROMISE ~ Sarah


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Low key the longest chapter I've written so far, and it isn't even that long lmao

**_Monday_ **

Sunday afternoon had been hell. Not only had Tyler been roped into dragging most of Josh’s belongings into his apartment, but he’d been subjected to constant phone calls and texts from Jenna and Mark. They could barely contain themselves with glee at the fact that Josh was going to be living in the same apartment as Tyler for a whole week. To be honest, Tyler could barely contain his own glee.

He could put up with noisy drums, and he’d even allow the mess in his kitchen if it meant that he got to wake up knowing that he’d be able to see Josh as soon as he walked into the living room. It wasn’t that he was in love with Josh or anything, Tyler had told himself. He had just happened to acquire an attraction towards his new neighbour. It could have happened to anyone, and it certainly wouldn’t lead to anything. He was sure of it.

Tyler lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. He could hear the shower running in the bathroom, and he marvelled at how early Josh had managed to get up. For some reason, Tyler had expected Josh to be the kind of person that would lie in bed for hours, and leave dirty plates by the sink after lunch. Yet Josh wasn’t like that at all. Tyler had only known him for a few days, and he’d already been surprised into recognising that Josh was a rather organised person. Sure, he might stay up late to watch TV, or to deafen Tyler with his drum kit, but he would always be up early the next morning. He’d even offered to cook dinner for Tyler every night as repayment for giving him a place to stay. Tyler could definitely say he was excited to spend the week with Josh.

"Sorry I took so long in the shower dude, you can go in now," Josh smiled at Tyler as he walked into the living room. Tyler's breath caught in his throat. He stared at his friend. Josh was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around his waist; water dripped from his wet hair, and ran in droplets down his chest. Tyler's eyes ran up and down all the muscles in his chest, and he paused as he looked at the tattoos that curled around Josh's arm. They were colourful and beautiful, and they just seemed to add something extra to his overall appearance. Tyler could barely breathe. He coughed slightly, and their eyes met.

"You okay?" Josh asked with a concerned expression on his face. Tyler prayed to every god he knew existed that Josh hadn't caught on that Tyler was checking him out. 

"Yeah sorry, I'm just tired," Tyler muttered. He jumped up, pulling a towel around his shoulders, and hurtling into the bathroom. He let out a sigh of relief as the door closed. It was going to be so hard waking up every morning to that. Literally. He was going to need a cold shower.

Well fuck, Tyler thought as the shower door closed. Was he beginning to catch feelings for Josh Dun?

//

Tyler listened to the constant beat of the drums as he made his bed. He had to admit, Josh was a pretty talented musician. Tyler could hardly think of a single thing he wasn't good at; he seemed to have crossed paths with a pretty perfect person. 

Suddenly, Tyler felt something soft brush across his fingers as he gripped the sheets. Something was moving. He looked down in horror. A dark, hairy tarantula was making its way across the duvet, its legs digging into the mattress. Tyler shot away from the bed immediately, crying out in terror.

"JOSH!" He screeched. "GET THE FUCK OVER HERE NOW." How the hell had a tarantula gotten into his apartment? Had it been there all night? What if he'd been sleeping in the same bed as this thing? Tyler's skin was crawling, and he wrung his hands out in panic. 

"Yo what's up?" Josh asked, wandering into the bedroom. He looked surprisingly calm. Without thinking, Tyler threw himself into Josh's arms, and buried his face in his chest. He was beginning to shake, but Josh's arms seemed warm and solid as they closed around him. 

"Oh hey, you found her," Josh laughed above Tyler. He looked up in confusion. 

"What?" 

Josh let go of Tyler, and reached towards the tarantula. Gently, he picked the spider up, and held it in his hands.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Tyler asked in confusion, taking a step back. Did Josh not realise that tarantulas were dangerous?

"This is my pet tarantula, man," Josh grinned at him, reaching inside his suitcase for a small, glass cage. "I've had her ever since I was little. Don't worry, she's harmless." He placed the tarantula inside the cage, and looked up at Tyler. 

"Get that thing away from me." Tyler was no longer scared. He was livid. Did Josh think it was acceptable to bring spiders into his apartment? Did he think it was okay to just let it roam around on  _his_ bed?

"Why. The. Fuck. Have. You. Brought. A. Tarantula. Into. My. Apartment."

"Her name's Suzie, actually," Josh muttered, and Tyler's face turned an even darker shade of purple. Josh took a step back, holding his hands up in surrender. "I didn't think you'd mind!" he exclaimed. 

"You didn't think I'd mind?" Tyler almost laughed. "You didn't think I'd mind having a tiny monster in my home? How the hell were you even allowed to keep a pet in the apartment? I thought we weren't allowed animals in the building." 

Josh bowed his head. "We're not." He looked up and smiled once more. "I guess I'm just a bad boy." 

Tyler snorted. He couldn't be angry at Josh, not when he was stood there looking so innocent and hot at the same time. Tyler just wanted to lean forward and pull Josh onto the bed. God, he could imagine that so vividly. He'd pull Josh on top of him, and Josh would kiss him again and again, and then he'd lean down and kiss Tyler's neck before ripping off his shirt and wrapping Tyler in those muscular arms like there wouldn't be a tomorrow. And then he would reach down to Tyler's hips, and he would- he would- 

"Tyler?" Josh said loudly.

"Huh?" Tyler looked up in a daze.

"You're drooling." 

"And _you_ brought a tarantula into my apartment," Tyler replied, trying to get the fantasy of him and Josh out of his head. He didn't need that right now. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry Ty. I keep messing up," Josh said sadly, and his expression looked so forlorn that Tyler just wanted to hug him and tell him that it was okay, he could bring as many spiders as he wanted into the apartment, and Tyler would still want to be his friend. He wanted to be more than his friend. Stop, Tyler told himself. That wasn't helping anything. 

"Tell you what," Josh began once more. "I'll take you out for a meal tomorrow night, its on me. Think of it as an apology for being so annoying." 

Tyler couldn't think of anything more perfect. A meal out? With Josh? It sounded like heaven. Would it be like a date? Would Josh wear something smart, and bring Tyler flowers at the start of the evening? Would they buy a bottle of wine, and kiss with the taste of alcohol on their lips? Tyler was more than ready for that. But wait, he said to himself. Josh hadn't shown the slightest hint of liking Tyler as more than a friend. Maybe this wasn't a date, after all.

"Would it just be us two, or no?" Tyler asked quietly, mentally kicking himself at being so obvious. 

"We could ask Jenna and Mark to come along?" Josh replied, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Don't be disappointed, Tyler told himself. It was never even a date in the first place. It was just a friendly get together to celebrate their newfound friendship. Nothing more. 

"Sounds good," Tyler tried to hide his disappointment. 

"Great," Josh grinned, winking. "I'll make sure to wear my best pair of jeans, babe." 

Tyler's heart stopped. Did he just? His throat was dry.

"D-did you just call me  _babe?_ " 

"Nah, sugar," Josh chuckled, making his way out of the bedroom. He clutched the glass cage in both hands, but Tyler barely even noticed the tarantula anymore. Josh had just called him both 'babe' and 'sugar' in the past few minutes. Tyler didn't care if he was joking. Josh Dun was the hottest person alive, and he was going to be the death of Tyler. 

"You'd better get rid of that damn tarantula," he called out hoarsely. He wanted to go to sleep with thoughts of sleeping with Josh, not some fat spider. 

"I'll sort it, Tyler," Josh shouted from the other room. "Try not to have a heart attack." 

Tyler laughed to himself. The risk of a heart attack was high when he was living with Josh. It was going to be even worse at the dinner tomorrow evening. Tyler, Josh, Jenna, and Mark all in the same room. At the same time. He wasn't looking forward to it. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think?? Ly all ~ Sarah


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one BRACE YOURSELVES GUYS

The hole in the wall looked more like a pin prick now, Tyler thought as he stood in the living room. He was rather pleased that the insurance company had decided that it was their main priority to fix the hole, rather than any of the other problems in the apartment. This meant that Josh got to stay with Tyler for longer, and in a more private environment. Not that Tyler had been thinking about what he and Josh could get up to in the privacy of his bedroom.

Only one day had passed and already Tyler was beginning to come to terms with his feelings. He liked Josh Dun, okay? As more than a friend. There. He’d admitted it, but that didn’t change anything. He couldn’t tell Josh how he felt; not only would it be painfully embarrassing to be rejected, but he didn’t want to risk their friendship. Josh was the only other person that he really felt he could trust.

“You okay, dude?” Right on cue, Josh walked into the room.

“Of course,” Tyler replied, his tone projecting itself a little harsher than usual. Josh pushed back his hair, and flung himself onto the sofa. Tyler resisted the urge to fling himself onto Josh’s lap. That probably wouldn’t be the best idea.

“What are your plans for today?” He asked, sitting next to Josh. Josh buried his head in his hands.

“Fuck all,” he mumbled.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Tyler automatically shifted closer to his friend. Without thinking, he slid a hand onto Josh’s knee. _Fuck,_ he cursed inwardly, hoping that Josh would only interpret it as a friendly action.

“Remember how I said that we could all go out to dinner tonight? Well it’s been cancelled.”

Usually, Tyler would have jumped for joy at this, but Josh looked so forlorn that he couldn’t help but feel bad. Josh looked up, and Tyler felt his heart clench. He hadn’t realised how close together they were sat. His breathing quickened, and his gaze flickered down to Josh’s lips.

“They’re going to some party,” Josh continued, clearly oblivious to Tyler’s nervousness.

“W-what party?”

“Some guy called Gerard Way is hosting a party at his house a few blocks from here. Apparently anyone is invited, but it’s not like we know him,” Josh replied, leaning back into the sofa. “I guess it’s just another night in. I won’t even get the chance to buy you an apology dinner now. Everything always turns to shit.” He sighed sadly, and glanced up at Tyler.

Suddenly, Tyler felt a strong urge to comfort his friend; his hand still rested on Josh’s knee, and he slid his palm up to Josh’s thigh, rubbing circles into his leg. Tyler could feel the heat from Josh’s skin through the tight jeans, and he gulped as their eyes met. Were Josh’s pupils as blown as his, or was he just imagining it? He could barely breathe.

“U-uh,” Tyler spluttered, and Josh’s lips quirked up into a smile. Why the fuck had it been a good idea to try to speak? “W-we could go to Gerard’s party with Jenna and Mark? I h-have spoken to him a few times before.” His fingers continued to glide over Josh’s thigh.

“Really? That would actually be great,” Josh beamed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Tyler smiled back at him, and he reached forward to pull Josh into a hug. Well this had turned out surprisingly well, he thought happily as he buried his face in Josh’s shoulder.

“You’re an angel, Ty,” Josh whispered into his ear, and Tyler shot back in surprise. His cheeks flooded with colour. Josh was just so goddamn adorable. 

“Th-thanks,” Tyler rushed over his words. To his dismay, he violently choked as he inhaled, and he turned even redder in colour, but this time it wasn’t from embarrassment.

“Tyler, dude, calm down,” Josh patted him on the back. Tyler tried to speak, but he instead he continued to cough and splutter. His face was now turning a rather beautiful shade of mottled purple. EVERY FUCKING TIME _,_ he wanted to scream. Rushing to the kitchen, Tyler grabbed a glass of water, and chucked it down his throat. His face began to return to its usual colour.

“Are you okay in there?” Josh called from the living room. Tyler placed his head in his hands. Everything was going perfectly, and he just _had_ to have a coughing fit. It was a wonder that Josh hadn’t ended up trying to give him the Heimlich manoeuvre. 

“I’m fine,” he shouted back. He had spoken too soon. As Tyler walked out of the kitchen, he just happened to step on a particularly slippery patch of spilt water on the floor. His feet slid from under him, and he lost all vision as he hit the floor.

“Tyler?” He could hear a distant voice.

As he began to regain his eyesight, he caught a glimpse of Josh entering his line of vision. He blinked, and Josh cracked a smile.

“Man, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

 //

A party. Why had a party been a good idea again? Looking back on it now, Tyler had realised that dinner with Mark and Jenna would probably be a better experience than a _party._ Tyler hardly ever went to parties; it just wasn’t something that he did. He was more of a ‘stay at home’ kind of person, but it was too late to do that now he had told Josh that he would take him to Gerard’s party.

Staring into his reflection, Tyler ran a hand through his hair as he stood in front of his bedroom mirror. He had elected to wear a plain t-shirt, paired with his floral kimono and skinny jeans; he was a little self conscious about his fashion sense, but Tyler had always thought that it was better to be a little weird than completely boring.

Suddenly, someone let out a low whistle from the doorway, and Tyler spun around in surprise. Josh stood leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed as he ran his eyes up and down Tyler’s body.

“Hey,” Tyler spoke quietly as he took in Josh’s appearance. He could hardly believe his eyes. Josh was the most gorgeous person he’d ever seen in his life, in those skin tight jeans with that beautifully messed up hair.

“You look good,” Josh said, his lips parting a little. Tyler blushed scarlet, and he mumbled out a ‘thanks’ and a ‘you too’ before ducking his head and heading towards the door. He wished he could just take the initiative, and flirt with Josh a little, just to see how he’d react. But he couldn’t. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to put his heart out on the line.

“Woah, hold on there,” Josh stopped him abruptly, holding out a hand to prevent Tyler from walking through the doorframe. Tyler gulped as Josh’s hand rested on his chest.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to tell you how cute you look tonight,” Josh smirked, his eyes glinted with what Tyler could only interpret as mischief. His heart was racing in his chest, and he clenched and unclenched his fists in nervousness. _Come on,_ he told himself firmly. _This is your chance to flirt a little._

“You look cute as well,” he replied. HALLELUJAH, he wanted to scream. FINALLY.

“Really?” Josh seemed slightly taken aback, and Tyler’s stomach exploded with butterflies as his confidence grew.

“Yeah,” he said loudly. “I like your-” Shit. He had been about to say that he liked Josh’s body, but somehow he didn’t think that it was appropriate just yet. But what else could he say? Tyler’s mind had gone blank.

“You like my..?” Josh leaned forward. His face was just centimetres away from Tyler’s, and Tyler could feel his breath again his lips. It was warm and smelled sweet, and Tyler had lost any intellectual thought lingering in his head. He hadn’t been expecting this. What on earth would he say?

“I like your shoes.” What. The. Fuck. Shoes? Tyler liked his shoes, did he? JOSHUA DUN HAD BEEN CENTIMETRES AWAY FROM HIS LIPS, AND HE HAD TOLD HIM THAT HE LIKED HIS SHOES. Tyler wanted to die.

“You like my shoes?” Josh stepped away from Tyler, and definitely seemed to be holding back a laugh. Tyler nodded painfully.

“I like your shoes,” he confirmed. He was beginning to strongly debate whether or not it would be appropriate to cancel the party in order to dig himself a FUCKING GRAVE.

“Well, thanks,” Josh replied, chuckling. He stepped out of Tyler’s bedroom and began to head towards the apartment door. “You ready to go?”

Tyler was definitely _not_ ready to go, but he supposed that it would be rude to leave Josh on his own.

“On my way,” he answered croakily, and followed Josh out of the apartment.

Brilliant, he thought sarcastically. They hadn’t even arrived at the party yet, and already he had embarrassed himself beyond the point of a dignified return. He was beginning to lose hope of ever being able to get anywhere with Josh. He may as well just give up. _No,_ he told himself firmly. This was the first time in years that he’d found someone worth liking, and he wasn’t going to give up now. He’d go to the goddamn party, and he’d have a fucking good time if it killed him.

// 

Twenty minutes into the party, and Tyler already wished that he was sat at home watching bad TV. As soon as they had entered Gerard’s house, he knew that it was going to be an eventful evening. Most people already seemed pretty drunk, and the loud bass of the music echoed through the house with such force that Tyler wondered whether the neighbours would have the guts to complain.

Tyler was currently sat on Gerard’s sofa with a red cup of cider in his hand. He was surrounded by people dancing to the music, and he was pretty sure that he could hear one of Gerard’s mates, Frank, trying to do his own karaoke version of the song.

 

Jenna Black – 9:45PM

_You look pretty lonely._

 

Tyler craned his neck around in an attempt to see where Jenna was hiding herself, but there were too many people to find any particular person. He had lost Josh within seconds of entering the house.

 

Jenna Black – 9:46PM

_I think Josh is looking for you lmao, I keep seeing him wandering around the house_

Mark Eshleman – 9:47PM

_yup Jenna’s right bro I just saw him a few seconds ago looking like a mom who’d lost her kid in the supermarket_

Tyler smirked, half pleased that Josh was looking for him, and half annoyed that both of his friends were hiding somewhere to spy on him. He scratched the back of his head, and downed the rest of his cider.

 

Mark Eshleman – 9:49PM

_DAMN_

Jenna Black – 9:50PM

_Uh oh you got competition_

Mark Eshleman – 9:50PM

_some blonde chick is following Josh around like a leech, you’d better hope he’s gay_

Tyler sank into the sofa in disappointment. Of course Josh would find a girl at a party; he was the kind of guy that would be surrounded by groups of girls all eager to capture his attention. He wasn’t even sure that Josh was gay, or bisexual at least. Tyler had no chance.

 

Jenna Black – 9:53PM

_Stop sitting there looking sry for yourself GO GET YOUR MAN_

She was right. Tyler needed to get the fuck off that miserable sofa so he could find Josh. He wasn’t having some random girl steal his perfect guy. He squared his shoulders, and typed a quick text before heading towards the ‘dance floor’.

 

Tyler Joseph to Jenna Black and Mark Eshleman – 9:55PM

_both of you can fuck off I’VE GOT A JOB TO DO_

Mark Eshleman – 9:56PM

_damn Tyler we didn’t tell you to blow him fgs_

Tyler Joseph – 9:56PM

_BLOCKING U_

He found Josh within minutes. He was making his way through a crowd of people, a blonde girl following him, attempting to grasp hold of his hand. Tyler’s heart sank as he watched Josh turn around and smile at her. No way was he actually putting up with this.

“WHO’S UP FOR AN ORGIE?” 

Tyler turned around just in time to see Brendon Urie jumping off the sofa with a bottle of vodka in his hand. He was greeted with a few loud cheers, and Brendon threw himself onto an unsuspecting Gerard, who landed in a pile on the floor. Tyler laughed, and downed a few vodka shots to ‘clear’ his head. He noticed a blue head of hair disappearing through the kitchen door.

“Josh!” he called out, but his voice was lost in the music. As he walked into the kitchen, he tripped over two people making out on the floor. They were already beginning to rip off each other’s clothes, and Tyler prayed that he and Josh could maybe do something like that before the night ended. Immediately, his inappropriate thoughts were interrupted by Brendon’s slurred voice announcing that it was definitely time to play spin the bottle. A dozen people began to head upstairs with Brendon and Gerard being the sole leaders of the group, waving plastic cups and bottles of cider.

Suddenly, Tyler noticed a flash of blue hair amongst the ‘spin the bottle’ crowd, followed by the same blonde girl. Cracking his knuckles in determination, Tyler shook his head to sharpen his focus, and began to follow Josh Dun up the stairs.

// 

Tyler wasn’t quite sure how he got roped into playing spin the bottle, but as he sat there listening to the sound of Pete and Patrick making out next to him, he decided that this was the only way to get close to Josh. The circle consisted of about twenty people, all sat cross legged with tipsy looks on their faces. Tyler could see Josh sat next to the blonde girl, staring across the circle at Tyler with a slight smile on his lips. Tyler’s stomach somersaulted, and he licked his lips with anticipation, winking at Josh. The alcohol had somehow made him confident.

As Gerard spun the wine bottle in the centre of the circle, Tyler watched the glass blur into an endless green sea. He smiled to himself. Spin the bottle was a dangerous game, especially when he was almost in love with the man sat opposite him. There was no going back now. He was fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow that was kinda a lot of writing lmao, hope y'all enjoyed this trash :) ~ Sarah


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> siN AWAITS

 

A chorus of ‘ooh’s echoed through the bedroom as Gerard spun the bottle in the centre of the circle. Tyler could see Jenna and Mark stood by the door; they nudged each other and tried to catch Tyler’s eye, but he ignored them and suppressed a smile. He only had eyes for Josh.

 Finally, the wine bottle slowed down, and paused to rest with the cap pointing at Brendon. The circle cheered, and Brendon laughed, leaning forward to peck Gerard on the lips. Gerard ducked his head, pretending to be embarrassed as Frank lept up and tackled Brendon to the floor.

“Hands – off  - my – boyfriend,” he accentuated each word with mock punch to Brendon’s stomach. Brendon laughed, and they play fought for a short while before someone spun the bottle again.Pete and Patrick kissed. The bottle spun again. Two more people kissed. Tyler’s mind was beginning to fall into a woozy state, but then he heard two names that snapped him back to reality.

“Josh! Debby!” Brendon shouted feebly, lying on the floor with a bottle of beer clutched to his chest. Tyler looked up in alarm to see Josh laugh and turn to the blonde girl sat next to him. She smiled seductively, and shifted a little closer to Josh. _Please,_ Tyler thought desperately, _don’t kiss her._ He might have been drunk and tired, but Tyler knew that he was falling in love with Josh Dun, and it would break his heart to see him kiss someone else.

Tyler could see Mark and Jenna frantically waving their arms from the doorway, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Josh and Debby who were beginning to slowly move towards each other. Suddenly, Tyler noticed Josh’s eyes flicker sideways, meeting Tyler’s panicked gaze. His heart seemed to stop. He could barely read the expression in Josh’s eyes, but he knew damn well that Josh could see the jealousy in Tyler’s face. He didn’t care. He was willing to do anything to stop Josh from kissing that goddamn girl.

The whole circle seemed to be oblivious to Tyler’s situation, and Gerard was even trying to cheer Josh on from the corner of the room. He was lying in what Tyler could only interpret as someone else’s vomit. Suddenly, Debby threw herself towards Josh, pressing her entire body up against his. She slammed her lips against Josh’s, and Tyler exploded into a thousand fragments of envy. This was it. This was the end of his love life. He might as well just sign a contract to say that he’d be single and alone for the rest of his life.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Debby’s lips met his, Josh threw himself backwards, and crushed a soda can lying on the floor behind him. What the fuck was he doing? Debby sat back slightly, a look of alarmed surprise spreading across her face.

“What are you doing, Josh?” she asked quietly, and the whole circle shared her silence. The throbbing music from downstairs and the shakiness of Tyler’s breath suddenly seemed deafening in the small room. All eyes turned to Josh.

“I-I didn’t _actually_ want to kiss you,” Josh stammered, and Tyler wanted to jump for joy. Josh, _his_ Josh didn’t want to kiss that one girl. It may not have been much, but Tyler could already feel his hope returning.

“Why not?” Debby asked, her lips pouting into a hurt expression. Brendon snorted.

“Awkward,” someone whispered, and Tyler glanced over at Frank, who suddenly seemed to be busying himself with stacking beer cans up into a pyramid.

“Because I don’t feel attracted to you in that way,” Josh mumbled, laughing nervously. For some reason, Tyler felt the need to stand up and perform an Irish jig. Sadly, he didn’t.

“I don’t really like _girls_ in that way, at all,” Josh continued, and the circle began to talk again.

“I-I’m…”he stumbled over his words. Tyler could barely breathe, and he looked at Josh with apprehension.

“You’re gay?” Brendon offered helpfully, and Tyler felt like pulling him into a bone crushing hug. Josh nodded. His eyes flickered up to Tyler for a second, peering at him through those gorgeous long lashes, before returning his gaze to the floor.

“HE’S GAY,” Gerard suddenly came back to life, standing up and clapping Josh on the shoulder. He cheered and raised a cider bottle.

“Who isn’t,” someone muttered, and Tyler glanced at Frank once again. He grinned. JOSH DUN WAS GAY. Life had never felt better, and he thanked god for creating this perfect situation. Josh was gay, and Tyler was definitely in love with him. He may have been very drunk by this point, but he knew love when he felt it. And he could feel it stronger than he ever had before.

“TYLER,” someone shouted, and Tyler jumped. Mark waved from the doorway, and exaggerated a wink.

“Shut the fuck up,” Tyler called back, laughing naturally, and he could have sworn that Josh had turned a little pinker than usual. He could hear people slurring his name, and shouting incomprehensible words towards him, but he could barely focus on anything.

“Yo, Tyler,” Pete leaned over, and Tyler was surprised that he’d managed to tear himself away from Patrick’s mouth for more than a few seconds. “Snap out of it.”  
“Huh?”

The circle laughed. Brendon leaned forward, and nearly fell flat on the floor as he waved a plastic cup at Tyler.

“You’re up,” he mock whispered. “You and Josh.”

“What?” Now Tyler was fully listening. Him and Josh? What about him and Josh?  
“Jesus, Tyler, are you even fucking awake?” Pete said, laughing, and he gestured towards the middle of the circle. The wine bottle lay pointing in Tyler’s direction. Why was there a wine bottle, again? Tyler mind was foggy. _Ah yes,_ spin the bottle. And Josh had spun the bottle. The bottle had been spinning. Tyler giggled to himself, and the sober part of his brain sadly reminded him that getting drunk was never a good idea. It took him a moment to remember how the rules of spin the bottle actually worked…and then it dawned on him. Josh had spun the bottle. It had landed on Tyler.

Tyler suddenly looked up in alarm, and saw that the entire circle was cheering as Josh began to shift his way over to Tyler. _Oh fuck. OH FUCK._ He could barely breathe. Was Josh actually going to kiss Tyler? His mind was a crowded mess of thoughts as his heart rate quickened at the notion of his lips meeting Josh’s. What if Tyler wasn’t a very good kisser? What if his breath was too overwhelming with the smell of alcohol? He needed to calm down.

In a matter of moments, Josh was sat beside Tyler, and gazed at him with an intense expression on his face. Tyler looked back into his eyes, and suddenly he forgot that he was surrounded by people. Josh was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen in his life. 

His blue hair fell slightly over his eyes, and he pushed it back with one hand. Was he shaking a little, or was it just Tyler’s imagination? Slowly, Josh began to lean forward, and Tyler sucked in a breath. Josh was actually going to kiss him.

Time seemed to pass slower than it ever had before as Josh leaned in. His eyes stayed focused on Tyler’s, and he placed a hand on his thigh. _FUCK,_ Tyler screamed in his mind. Josh’s fucking hand was on his thigh. _His_ thigh. Josh bit his lip as he leaned in even closer, and Tyler could feel Josh’s sweet smelling breath on his lips. They were just centimetres apart, and Tyler wasn’t doing or saying anything embarrassing. Suddenly, Tyler felt Josh’s hand begin to slide up his thigh, his fingers edging towards the very top of his leg. His eyes widened as he felt a spark of arousal shoot straight to his crotch, and he gasped a little as he watched Josh’s tongue dart out to wet his lips. Josh’s slender fingers moved in slow motions towards Tyler’s groin, and his other hand reached up to cup Tyler’s jaw. One finger trailed across the waistband of Tyler’s jeans; he moaned softly with anticipation, and he could have sworn that Josh released a matching sigh of arousal. God, he couldn’t wait any longer for Josh to kiss him.

Suddenly, Josh moved his hand from Tyler’s jeans to his own mouth, and placed two fingers on his lips. His fingertips rested on his bottom lip, and he made a slight sucking noise that sent another wave of provocation through Tyler’s body. Tyler was more than ready to place his hands on Josh’s chest, pushing him to the ground and sucking bruises into his neck. He wanted to grind his hips up against Josh’s, and to release that tension he was holding in his jeans. Just one kiss from Josh, and Tyler was all his.

But Josh didn’t kiss him. Instead, he took his fingers from his lips, and placed them on Tyler’s. For a brief moment, he seemed enraptured in watching Tyler’s lips part between his fingers, but then he removed his hand, and sat back on his heels. He winked, and bit his lip once more.

Tyler was a mess. His jeans were painfully tight, his face was flushed a deep red, and his pupil were blown with attraction. He wasn’t sure that he could get any more turned on than he was in that moment. Josh was the hottest person on earth, and he was sure of that.

“Well, shit,” Gerard said from the centre of the circle, a hand clapped over his mouth in mock surprise. The circle seemed to let out a collective sigh that they’d all been holding in, and Tyler’s face blushed an even deeper scarlet as wolf whistles echoed throughout the room. He had almost forgotten that it wasn’t just him and Josh that had witnessed that rather private moment. Beside him, Josh laughed a little, and Tyler wondered what the hell was going on in that head of his.

“You need a moment, Tyler?” Mark doubled over laughing, shouting Tyler’s name from the doorway. He grinned back, and abruptly stood up. Brilliant. Brendon began to roar with laughter and Tyler hurried out of the room before anyone else noticed how tight his skinny jeans actually were.

Stumbling down the stairs, and out of the front door, Tyler let out a sigh that he didn’t know he’d been holding in. The cold autumn air hit his face like a bucket of icy water, and he shook his head in an attempt to gain clarity. What the fuck had just happened? His mind was a mixture of confused elation. Josh had nearly kissed him? Josh was gay? Josh liked him back? Or did he? Tyler groaned. Everything was confusing to his drunken state.

Gazing down at the ground below his feet, Tyler decided that it was definitely time to sleep. His bed was miles away, and he didn’t particularly feel like staggering home at this ungodly hour. Holding back the urge to return to the drinks table, Tyler abandoned all dignity and lay down on the grass. It was soft and cold beneath his head, and he decided that it was the perfect place to stay for the night. He’d find Josh tomorrow morning. He’d deal with things tomorrow morning.

Images of blue hair and brown eyes flickering through his drunken mind, Tyler slowly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my dUDES, will be updating v soon w some more garbage ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is also a really long chapter what's happening lmao

Tyler woke up. His head was throbbing, but the soft cotton of a pillow lay beneath his neck. A plush duvet was tucked up to his chin, and he seemed to be wrapped up in a warm cocoon of blanket. For some reason, his bed had never felt more comfortable. His bed? Tyler cast his mind back to the party last night. Had he even made it home? Searching through a haze of drunken memories, Tyler realised that he had definitely _not_ made it home last night. He began to remember lying down on Gerard’s lawn, and falling asleep in the middle of the party.

 _Fucking hell,_ Tyler thought sleepily, disregarding any other memories he could recover from the party. Where the fuck was he? Tyler opened his eyes, and let out a sigh of relief. He _had_ gone home last night. He had slept in his own bed. He had – wait. How had he ended up in bed? The last thing he knew, he was enjoying a bed of grass outside Gerard’s house.

Wincing as his head began to pulsate with the telltale signs of a hangover, Tyler rolled over. Suddenly, he was wide awake. Lying next to him in the double bed was none other than Josh Dun. Josh was propped up on one elbow; his hair was a little messy from sleep, but his eyes were wide awake and staring at Tyler intently. He jumped with surprise when he realised that Tyler was awake.

“You’re awake,” Josh said, clearing his throat. Tyler nodded, and ran one hand through his hair as he yawned. Nothing had ever felt more perfect. Waking up to the sight of Josh? It was like a dream come true. Josh blushed slightly, and bit his lip. _God he’s so fucking perfect,_ Tyler thought to himself, his eyes drifting down to the corner of duvet wrapped around Josh’s waist. He silently thanked God as he realised that Josh was shirtless.

“How do you feel?” Josh asked, pulling the duvet fully over his frame. Tyler mentally rolled his eyes.

“I’m fine, why?” He decided not to ask why Josh was sharing his bed. He didn’t want to ruin the magic.

“You weren’t so good last night.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you remember?” Josh frowned, and Tyler cast his mind back to the eventful game of spin the bottle.

“I remember some of last night,” he whispered slowly, and flicked his gaze down to Josh’s lips. He could have sworn that he heard Josh’s breath speed up a little.

“But don’t you remember how you got home?” He questioned, nibbling on the inside of his cheek.

“No,” Tyler replied honestly. “The last thing I remember was lying down on Gerard’s lawn. What happened?”

“Yeah, that’s where I found you. You were pretty tired, and Frank offered to drive us home, but I told him that there was no way in hell that any of us would be fit to drive. We were hammered,” he laughed, and Tyler smiled as he watched his eyes crinkle at the corners.

“Anyway, I just had to pick you up and walk home, dude. Bridal style and everything,” Josh finished. He had picked Tyler up? Bridal style? Tyler tried not to swoon at the thought of curling up in Josh’s arms.

“Wait, you managed to carry me all the way home?” he said in disbelief. He knew that Josh was strong, but man, that was almost inhumane.

“Well I couldn’t just leave you now, could I?” Josh chuckled, and Tyler smiled once more. He shifted slightly towards Josh, and his leg slid in between Josh’s thighs. Fuck. Tyler’s breath caught in his throat, and he stared back at Josh with a nervous look in his eyes.

“So how did we end up in the same bed?” Tyler asked quietly.

“Well,” Josh began to blush, as if there was more to the story that neither of them expected.

“When I carried you in… you kind of threw up on the sofa. I cleaned it off, don’t worry, but I didn’t really want to sleep on a wet sofa, so I just climbed into bed with you,” Josh replied. He scratched his head in anxious apprehension.

Tyler wanted to die right there and then. Josh had taken the liberty to carry him all the way home, and he had decided to throw up on the sofa? Oh my god. Josh Dun had watched him vomit. He might as well just dig his own grave.

“Shit, sorry man,” Tyler smiled awkwardly. Josh stared back with a sympathetic gaze.

“Hope I didn’t gross you out,” he continued. _Shut the fuck up,_ he mentally slapped himself. _You’re making everything worse._

“Nah, you couldn’t gross me out,” Josh grinned, casually slipping an arm over Tyler’s shoulders as they lay next to each other. “Don’t worry, I still think you’re hot.” Suddenly, Josh blushed as he seemed to realise what he had just said.

Oh my god. Josh had just called him hot. HE HAD JUST CALLED HIM HOT. Was he joking? Tyler didn’t know. He didn’t care. Joshua Dun was lying next to him in bed, with one arm around his shoulders and his legs intertwined with Tyler’s, and he had just called him hot. Was his heart even capable to withhold this kind of miracle? Tyler couldn’t believe it. It was amazing, it was fantastic, it was –

“Tyler?” Josh said suddenly. Tyler looked up once more.

“Are you okay?” He nodded.

“You kind of spaced out,” Josh said absently, and Tyler was painfully aware of how shirtless Josh was. One move closer and their chests would be pressed together.

“Yeah,” he replied, searching for something to say. “I was just thinking about the sofa, do you think I need to buy a new one?”

WHAT THE HELL WAS HE SAYING? A new sofa? It was almost as bad as the ‘I like your shoes’ incident. This is why he would never get a boyfriend.

“Um, I don’t think so. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Josh laughed, and detangled himself from Tyler. Fantastic. Just the reaction Tyler was aiming for.

“Hey, come on, I know you’ll have a hang over real bad, so you go take a shower, and I’ll make some breakfast,” Josh said as he climbed out of bed. Tyler nodded, and watched Josh and his bare chest disappear into the kitchen. God, he could barely deal with this. It was the worst form of torture. Josh was so goddamn perfect; he carried Tyler home after a party, he slept in his bed, and he even offered to make breakfast in the morning. _He’d make a good husband,_ Tyler thought as he made the bed, and walked to the bathroom. _Stop,_ he told himself in ridicule, _you can’t even speak two words around him without making a fool of yourself. It’s a bit premature to be planning a wedding._ Chuckling to himself as he turned on the shower, Tyler wondered if he’d ever manage to kiss Josh.

//

Warm droplets of water ran over Tyler’s chest, and he lifted his arms to rub shampoo into his hair. He could almost feel the sweat and alcohol draining from his system as water swirled down the plughole of the shower, but most of all, he could almost still feel the touch of Josh’s arm slung over his shoulder. It felt like tranquillity.

Running his hands through his hair, Tyler listened to the sound of Josh making breakfast in the kitchen. For a second, he cast his mind back to before Josh moved into the apartment next door. Tyler never used to care about living alone, or having no one to think about as he went to sleep, but now it felt as if a hole in his life had been filled by something amazing. Josh _was_ amazing, he thought happily. Everything he had brought into Tyler’s life was perfect. As he stood here now, thinking about the person he was very much in love with, Tyler could smell the faint aroma of pancakes coming from the kitchen. They smelled sweet, with a hint of honey and lemon. They smelled warm, and welcoming, and almost as if something was burning. Wait, what? Tyler stopped. The scent of charred food drifted under the bathroom door. Something was definitely burning. _Fucking hell,_ Tyler thought for the billionth time Josh had been staying in his apartment, _not again._

Switching off the shower and shaking water droplets from his hair, Tyler threw a towel around his waist, and raced out of the bathroom. Tendrils of smoke were beginning to curl their way into the living room, and Tyler began to panic as images of a ruined kitchen popped into his head. What the hell had Josh been doing?

“Josh?” he called out.

“It’s fine, don’t worry!” Josh shouted back hoarsely, and Tyler cursed loudly upon entering the kitchen. It was not fine. Flames were leaping up from the stove, and the smoke was beginning to form a rather foggy atmosphere. To his dismay, Tyler saw that Josh was single handily attempting to tackle the fire with a tea towel. He was hardly having much luck.

“I got it Tyler!” Josh yelled over the sound of the fire alarm. Tyler groaned, and raced to the door. He picked up the fire extinguisher, returning to the kitchen to give Josh a hand. _HandJOB,_ Tyler chuckled to himself. What the fuck? There was a fucking fire in the kitchen, and Tyler was making innuendos? Shaking his head, he screamed at Josh to move out of the way, and aimed the foam at the flames rising up from the stove.

Gradually, the fire died down, and Tyler dropped the extinguisher on the floor. He was panting profusely, and the small towel wrapped around his waist was covered in ash. As Josh turned around, Tyler realised that he was even more ash covered than himself. The kitchen was coated in soot; a pan containing charred pancakes lay upon the stove. The fire alarm began to quieten down, and they stared at each other with relief.

“Sorry?” Josh offered, smiling nervously. He rang his hands out in anxiety. Tyler’s heart melted at the thought of Josh being worried that Tyler would be mad at him. He couldn’t be mad at him, not even if Josh burned down the whole apartment.

“Hey it’s okay, we can get the kitchen cleaned up in no time,” Tyler smiled reassuringly, and consciously clung onto the towel around his waist for dear life. Although he constantly found himself wanting to be naked around Josh, he didn’t really think that right now was the appropriate time. Josh smiled as he relaxed.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Tyler said softly, taking a step towards Josh. His feet slid a little through the ash on the floor.

“Yeah,” Josh replied, blushing slightly. “What are we gonna do about breakfast?”

Tyler laughed, and shrugged his shoulders. For a moment, they just stood there, looking at the ruined kitchen, and listening to the sound of drilling and running water in Josh’s apartment next door. Tyler was extremely pleased at how long it was taking the builders to fix up Josh’s place. The longer they were living together, the better.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a quiet knock at the kitchen door, and they both whirled around in surprise. Stood at the door, was a complete stranger. Well, not a _complete_ stranger. The girl had bright orange hair, and a rather alternative fashion sense; Tyler had maybe seen her a few times before, and he surmised her to be the resident of the apartment opposite them.

She stood for a moment at the kitchen door, gazing around in bewilderment at the charred kitchen, Josh’s soot covered face, and Tyler’s lack of actual clothing.

“Hi?” Josh spoke first, shrugging his shoulders in confusion.

“Um,” the girl coughed. She shook her head. “I’m Hayley, I live in the apartment opposite you. I kinda heard some noise, so I came to make sure you guys were okay,” she said with an awkward smile. Tyler grinned back at her, inwardly laughing at her bewilderment. They must have looked like absolute idiots.

“We left the door unlocked, again?” Josh sighed, glancing at Tyler in exasperation. Hayley chuckled a little, and made to leave the apartment.

“Oh, one last thing,” she turned around once more. “Some dickhead has spray painted a shit tonne of graffiti on the outside wall, so everyone’s getting together this afternoon to help scrub it off. Maybe you’d like to lend a hand?”

Josh nodded eagerly, and gave her a slightly blackened thumbs up. _Cute,_ Tyler thought to himself and promptly cringed at his own cheesiness. God, he was in deep. 

“Okay then, see you later guys!” Hayley grinned as she left the apartment. Tyler sighed. Great, a whole afternoon of having to scrub off paint in the cold outdoors _._ At least he would be with Josh.

“Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Josh smiled, and began to wash some of the ash from his hands.

“Yeah. Um, I’d better go and get changed,” Tyler laughed awkwardly, and shuffled away from Josh. He clung onto his towel, and smiled as Josh laughed.

“Really?” Josh said in mock disappointment; he ran his eyes up and down Tyler’s body, and Tyler shivered in a way that had nothing to do with being cold.

“That’s a shame,” Josh finished, winking as Tyler blushed. He left the kitchen in a fluster, and sat down on his bed. Shit, Josh was so hot, and he didn’t even know it. Being around him was becoming as agonising as it was amazing, especially after last night.

Josh had almost kissed him. He had carried him home. He had slept in the same bed as him. He’d even (almost) made breakfast; it was as if Josh was harbouring feelings for Tyler too? But probably not, he thought sadly. Spin the bottle had probably just been a drunken mistake. Checking his phone, Tyler rolled his eyes.

 

Jenna Black – 11:21AM

 _So. How was last night hmmm?_ _We saw HIM carry you home ;)_

 

Tyler Joseph – 11:22AM

_I threw up on the sofa._

Jenna Black – 11:22AM

_But he loooooooves you anyway??_

Tyler Joseph – 11:24AM

_He set fire to my kitchen._

Jenna Black – 11:25AM

_you adore him Ty_

Tyler Joseph – 11:26AM

_hmm you wish, you coming out today? Me and Josh are helping clean a fuck load of graffiti off the outside wall, could do with your help_

Jenna Black – 11:27AM

_I’ll be there in 20_

Jenna Black – 11:29AM

_But you’d better have conFESSED YOUR TRUE FEELINGS TO JOSH BY THEN_

Jenna Black – 11:31AM

_Hello???_

Tyler grinned in spite of himself and began to get changed. He needed to look his best today; he didn’t even care if he spilt paint all over his favourite clothes, he wanted to capture Josh’s attention and never let it go. Josh was an enigma wrapped in tight jeans, and Tyler wanted him so badly that it was beginning to hurt. How dare Josh flirt with him? How dare he tease him without doing anything about it? Well, Tyler thought as he pulled on a checkered shirt. This was it. The game was on. And Tyler wasn’t prepared to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading guys, let me know what ya think <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BRACE YO SELVES (also I'm sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter oops)

Tyler scrubbed the wall with minimal effort, and turned to look at his friend. Josh was cleaning the graffiti with so much vigour that the muscles in his arm flexed with each movement, and Tyler swooned as the sunlight shone down on Josh’s bare back. Josh was shirtless yet again, and Tyler really felt as if God had deliberately decided to torture him just for the fun of it.

“Yo Tyler, you okay there?” Mark’s sarcastic voice cut through the air, and Tyler blushed at having been caught gawking at Josh. He nodded hastily. For some reason, the wall cleaning had turned into some sort of social event, and most of their friends had decided that it would be fun to help out. To Tyler’s dismay, the newly formed cleaning team seemed to consist of most of the people present at Gerard’s party.

“So Tyler,” Pete called out, leaning over Patrick’s shoulder; a smirk rested on his face as his gaze flickered between Josh and Tyler. “Heard you got home safely last night.”

“Yep,” Tyler stared intently at the wall, and tried not to let his mind wander to last night’s events.

“How was the sex?” Brendon shouted from around the corner, and Tyler wanted to die right there and then. Suddenly, Josh laughed.

“It was pretty good, thanks!” He hollered back, flipping off Pete when he wolf whistled. Tyler flushed once more, and Josh nudged his shoulder. As Tyler turned to look at him, he winked.

“Don’t sweat it, babe.” Tyler suddenly found it increasingly difficult to swallow, and he forced himself to roll his eyes at Josh.

“Shut up,” he croaked back, and turned to pick up a can of paint. He allowed himself the tiniest of smiles at having been called ‘babe’ by Josh, and jumped as he saw Jenna’s eyes staring at him intently. Their gazes met, and she grinned, giving him a thumbs up before turning back to Mark. Tyler let out a breath. Maybe she was right, he thought, running his paintbrush down the wall. Maybe Josh did feel something for him. Even if it was the tiniest crush in the world, Tyler would be happy with it. He would be happy with anything if it meant he had a chance with Josh.

“Hey, it’s not looking too shabby now,” Hayley’s voice rose above other conversations as she observed the wall. A few half hearted cheers came from Brendon’s direction.

“Thanks for helping, guys, I really appreciate it,” she smiled, and Tyler saw Josh grin back at her. He chuckled a little as he took in her appearance. She wore black overalls, and her orange hair stood out in an odd contrast against the darkness; she looked slightly like a tiger, and the tin of white paint in her hand made her look even quirkier compared to the plain t-shirts and skinny jeans that everyone else seemed to be wearing.

“It’s no problem, don’t worry,” Jenna replied, and wiped her paint covered hands on her t-shirt. Hayley winced.

“Yo, what’s up?” Frank asked in curiosity, laughing a little.

“I hate it when paint gets on my clothes, I guess I’m kinda like my mom,” Hayley laughed, and gestured to her overalls. Brendon’s eyes lit up with devilish ambition.

“So…you don’t mind if I…” he said mischievously, waving the paint coated brush towards Hayley. Tyler laughed, and she turned to glare at him in mock annoyance.

“Well, in that case,” Brendon finished, and sent a huge glob of paint flying towards Hayley. It landed in a white splatter on her overalls, and she gasped in horror, flying towards Brendon with a paint pot in her hands. She began to whack him with her brush, and Gerard followed suit, flinging paint at Frank in waves of white. Suddenly, everyone was laughing, and throwing paint as if there was an abundance of it. Mark joined in, wiping paint over Jenna’s rather expensive looking jeans.

“You - bloody – bastard!” She leaped forwards and smeared paint over his t-shirt, guffawing as the grin was wiped from his face. Tyler laughed, and stepped back. He wasn’t prepared to get his carefully chosen outfit ruined, thank you very much. In the midst of the paint battle, Josh made eye contact with him and winked, sticking out his tongue. Tyler knew that Josh wouldn’t ruin his clothes, and he smiled as he watched his friend double over laughing with Frank.

“YO TYLER,” Gerard shouted over the din, and Tyler’s eyes widened when he realised that he’d been caught untouched. Uh oh.

“LOOK OUT!” A tidal wave of paint flew over the crowd, and hit him square in the chest, splattering his checkered shirt with white. Gerard fell to the floor in laughter, and Tyler shouted every curse imaginable at him over the noise. A few people stopped to look at him, but everyone continued with the paint war, and Tyler rolled his eyes at the lack of recognition. Brilliant. This was a disaster, he thought as he stomped inside. All he wanted to do was give Hayley a hand cleaning some graffiti, and now not only had his favourite shirt been wrecked, Josh hadn’t even noticed that he’d gone inside to change. He may as well just be invisible to him.

Remembering that he had a few spare t-shirts on the ground floor, he walked towards the storage cupboard, oblivious to the footsteps behind him. Tyler reached for the doorknob, and jumped at the sound of a voice.

“Hey,” Josh said behind him, and Tyler whirled around in surprise. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he blushed, ducking his head as they entered the small room. It was dimly lit and warm, a few dusty shelves filling the cramped space around them.

“I just thought I’d change into a different shirt whilst the rest of them are having fun,” Tyler replied, pulling out a few boxes. Josh touched his arm gently, and he turned around, biting his lip as their eyes met. Josh was barely affected by the paint throwing, and only a few flecks of white tainted his bright blue hair.

“I meant to ask if you were okay after last night,” Josh lowered his voice, and Tyler could feel himself begin to panic. Last night? Did he mean the kiss they almost shared? Or when Josh carried him home? His breathing quickened, and his heart almost stopped when Josh’s hand brushed over his own.

“Don’t panic,” he said softly. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t freak you out.” Josh looked down to the floor, and Tyler noticed that he also seemed a little nervous. Was Josh…scared? Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to Josh. Their faces were inches apart, and Tyler’s knee brushed the inside of Josh’s thighs; he could have sworn that his friend’s breathing hitched a little as the warmth of their skin connected.

Tyler could barely believe it. How had this happened? Here he was, stood inches away from Josh in a cramped storage cupboard with his emotions a wreck, holding onto any last shreds of hope he had that Josh might like him back. It was a mess. But he loved it. He loved Josh.

“You didn’t freak me out,” he replied quietly, and stepped back a little. He didn’t want Josh to feel suffocated by him, it was bad enough that he’d been blushing and giggling every time Josh so much as looked at him. Somehow, retracting himself from the warmth of Josh’s chest didn’t make Tyler feel any better.

“I-I need to change my shirt,” Tyler stammered, trying to play it off as a laugh as he gestured down to his paint covered clothes. Josh smiled slightly, but there was intensity in his eyes that sent shivers down Tyler’s spine. Reaching forward, Josh placed a hand on Tyler’s hip, and his fingers lifted up the corners of his shirt. Tyler’s breath caught in his throat, and his mind melted into a pool of adoration and panic. What the fuck was Josh doing? Not unlike the events of the party, there was no way that this could be excused as just a friendly action. Josh ran his tongue over his lips, and Tyler shuddered as a spark of arousal shot through his body.

“Then let me help you,” Josh whispered. He touched Tyler’s shirt with both hands, and lifted it up over his head, fingers grazing Tyler’s skin as he did so. Suddenly, Tyler was shirtless, and Josh was dropping his t-shirt to the floor in one careless motion.

Fuck. Tyler could barely think. He would have pinched himself if he thought he was dreaming, but the tightness of his jeans and the shallow breathing he and Josh shared seemed so vivid and compelling that he couldn’t focus on anything else. He ran his eyes over Josh’s body, and reached out a bold hand that lay to rest on Josh’s chest. He could have sworn that his friend released a matching sigh of arousal.

“Tyler,” Josh murmured, and he looked up in a daze. Their eyes met, and it was then that he noticed that Josh’s pupils were as blown as his.

“Yeah?”

“I-I think…” His voice faded away into nothing, and Tyler’s heart began to beat erratically. He nodded encouragingly, and Josh chuckled nervously.

“I think I like you…as more than a friend,” Josh spoke in barely a whisper. Tyler couldn’t breathe. He could hardly think. Here he was, turned on to high heavens with Josh blatantly confessing his feelings, and Tyler couldn’t say a word in return. But he didn’t need to.

Suddenly, Josh was leaning forward, and his lips were connecting with Tyler’s jaw. Fucking hell, Tyler thought as he let out a moan. This was unexpected. Josh’s lips were grazing his skin like butterflies, and as they moved down to Tyler’s neck, they became urgent and intense. Tyler moaned once more, and Josh’s tongue flicked out a little to dampen his collarbone. His hands were beginning to dance across Tyler’s chest, and Tyler stood there in a trance, shaking slightly with apprehension.

Trying his best to pull himself together, Tyler straightened his posture. He tentatively reached forward, and Josh gasped in surprise as Tyler’s hands rested on his hips. Suddenly, his mouth was retreating from Tyler’s neck, and Tyler cursed inwardly as he wondered if he had done something wrong. He couldn’t have been more mistaken.

Josh gazed at him with a lustful expression, and mirrored Tyler’s actions as he gripped his friend’s hips.

“You sure you’re okay?” he panted a little, and Tyler let out a murmur of acknowledgement.

“Never been better.”

Josh smiled slightly, and trailed his fingers across the waistband of Tyler’s jeans. He dipped his fingers to play with the zipper for a moment, before placing his hands back on Tyler’s hips.

“Josh…” Tyler murmured restlessly. He wanted Josh, and he wanted him now.

Slowly – carefully, Josh pulled Tyler’s hips towards his body, and their bodies ground together with blissful friction. Josh let out a sigh, and Tyler felt his irresistible hardness as it brushed against his own. God, he’d never been more turned on in his life. Suddenly, Josh rested his forehead against Tyler’s, and their eyes met. They shared the same lustful expression, and Tyler knew that he couldn’t wait any longer. He’d been dreaming about this moment for what seemed like so long, and now that it was finally here, it couldn’t come fast enough. Suddenly, Josh leaned forward a fraction. Tangled up in heated breathing and racing heartbeats, there was an agonising pause for a moment before their lips connected.

Time stood still.

The kiss was brief – fleeting, but the soft feeling of Josh’s warm, gentle lips upon his own was one that Tyler would never be able to rid from his mind. It was amazing. It was the best thing he’d ever experienced, and he closed his eyes once more to experience the moment over and over again in his mind. Yet Josh was still there, waiting for his reaction, and all Tyler could do was let out a fucking whimper. A whimper. KISS ME AGAIN, Tyler screamed inside his head as Josh stood there, motionless. He could barely muster up the courage to breathe, let alone kiss Josh back, or tell him how he truly felt. But that would come with time. For now, Josh would have to make do with this. A whimper.

Josh opened his mouth to speak.

“Are you – “ He began to say, but was cut off by a brazen holler from outside the storage cupboard.

“JOSH, TYLER?” Someone was yelling, and Tyler matched the loud voice to that of Brendon Urie. _Fucking Brendon,_ he cursed inwardly, _this is probably the worst possible time for you to interrupt._ Josh laughed quietly; he tore his eyes away from Tyler’s, and the spell was broken. A hint of disappointment flickered in his expression before he uttered an excuse to return to the people outside, shooting Tyler an embarrassed grin as he left the cupboard.

Damn. Tyler wanted nothing more than to grab Josh’s arm and yank him into the cupboard, kissing him as passionately as he knew he loved him. He wanted to tell Josh that he loved him more than he’d ever loved anyone else; he wanted to run a hand through Josh’s hair, and to release that tension they’d both been withholding. But Josh had already gone, and Tyler would have to settle for waiting a few more hours. Yes, that was right. Tyler pulled on a clean shirt, and shook the dizziness from his head. He would wait until everyone had left, and then he’d show Josh exactly how much he wanted him; it felt like it would be easy now that Tyler knew that Josh reciprocated his feelings. It was going to be okay. No, Tyler thought slyly as he left the cupboard and squared his jaw. It was going to be more than okay.

It was going to be fucking heaven on earth.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so iT HAPPENED, what did y'all think? ly guys


	9. Chapter 9

This was not okay. Tyler could feel the cold texture of the brick wall behind him as he listened to the sound of laughter around the corner. Josh had already gone to join their friends and Tyler had planned to follow suit, but now that it came to it he could barely step around the corner, let alone join in a conversation that he knew Josh would be a part of. It was just too intimidating, especially after their kiss. Their kiss…Tyler couldn’t stop thinking about it; a strange sense of elation danced in the pit of his stomach as he thought about what would happen once they returned to Tyler’s apartment. Would Josh wait until Tyler confessed his feelings? Or would he slam the door and press Tyler up against it for a second kiss? Come to think of it, Tyler yearned for a mixture of both. 

Taking a hesitant breath, Tyler crept along the wall and identified Mark along the edges of the group. He could see Hayley and the others laughing and talking as they mopped up paint, and he prayed that no one had noticed him cowering by the building.

“Mark!” he hissed towards the group, and promptly hid behind the wall again. Peering around the corner, he noticed no change in scene.

“Hey! Mark!” Tyler raised his voice a little. A slightly confused look upon his face, Mark finally noticed that he was being beckoned.

“What’s up?” He asked when he reached Tyler. Tyler ducked his head and smirked, pulling his friend inside the building. Mark would probably have a fucking heart attack when he discovered what had happened, he thought, grinning.

“Not here – come on, let’s go upstairs.” Heading towards his apartment, Tyler pulled Mark up the stairs and down the corridor.

 //

 “Fucking finally,” Mark muttered once Tyler explained the situation, and he smiled smugly at his friend. “So he ‘likes you as more than a friend’” Mark continued, laughing. “Face it Tyler, he wants to fuck you.”

Tyler grinned broadly and winked. “I wish.”

“So what are you going to do?” Mark asked in a more serious tone. He sat down on the sofa and let out a breath. “Josh doesn’t even properly know that you like him back yet.”

”You think I don’t know that?”

“I wish Jenna was here,” Mark rolled his eyes. “She’d know what to do.”

“She’ll have a fit when she realises what she’s missed,” Tyler chuckled, and ran one hand through his hair. “Seriously though Mark, what am I going to do? Josh has no idea what to expect from me and I have no idea what to say to him.”

“I don’t know dude, it’s probably not that difficult when you think about it. You like him and he likes you, right?”

Tyler nodded.

“Then just tell him that and it’s all good,” Mark finished, firmly nodding his head as if that was the end of things. He was right, Tyler thought in exasperation – Jenna would be much better at dealing with this. Unfortunately, he was stuck with Mark.

“It’s not that simple, though,” he sighed. “Josh may only like me a little bit, and he could just be acting on an impulse to kiss me rather than having real feelings. I think I’m in love with him, Mark. How the fuck do I know what’s going on in his head?”

“You don’t,” Mark said simply, and Tyler rolled his eyes sarcastically. He joined Mark on the sofa.

“Yeah, thanks for the great advice.”

“You’re welcome, man,” Mark cracked a smile and nudged his friend’s shoulder. For a brief moment, the tension in the room was relieved.

“What the hell can I do?” Tyler continued in a slightly louder voice. “I can’t exactly just walk up to him and say hey there, how’s your day been, oh by the way I forgot to tell you that I LOVE YOU,” his voice had risen to a shout, and the room suddenly seemed suffocated by a heavy silence.

“Um, Tyler?” Mark muttered, gesturing towards the door. Tyler whirled around.

Standing in the doorway with a moderately shocked expression on his face was none other than Josh Dun. Fuck, Tyler thought in panic. How much had Josh heard? For a moment, no one moved.

Silence.

Then Josh opened his mouth.

“Tyler?” His voice seemed both broken and loud at the same time. Tyler gulped. Had Josh heard him say that he loved him?

“Yeah?” He replied quietly, glancing over at Mark who looked as if he’d rather be digging his own grave than sitting on the sofa.

“Y-you…you l-love..?” Josh began to stammer, and his voice trailed off into silence.

“Yeah,” Tyler whispered. What would Josh say? Would he admit that he loved Tyler back? As if, Tyler thought to himself. He’d probably freak out and want nothing to do with him.

“Oh…” Josh stepped backwards slightly, and Tyler felt his heart break into a million shards of pain.

“I’m sorry…I-I have to go.” Josh stumbled back through the door and it closed with a quiet click. His footsteps echoed down the corridor.

 

Brilliant. Tyler had fucked everything up. Now Josh probably didn’t even want to be friends with him. Placing his head in his hands, a silent tear rolled down Tyler’s cheek.

“What the fuck, man?” Mark’s voice broke the silence.

“What?” Tyler looked up in confusion.

“Why didn’t you go after him?”

“He wants nothing to do with me now - I’ve freaked him out. He doesn’t love me back, and he probably never will,” Tyler sighed, and Mark let out an almost incredulous laugh.

“Tyler?”

“What?” Tyler was beginning to grow angry, and his voice broke harshly as he spoke.

“You do realise that Josh has no idea that you love him?”

“What? He literally just fucking heard me say that I love him,” Tyler snapped. What the hell was Mark going on about?

“No he didn’t, he walked in at the wrong time. How do you thing it looks to him?” Mark waved his hands in front of Tyler’s face as if it was obvious.

Tyler stopped. He thought back to the moment when Josh had opened the door. Mark was right; Josh didn’t know that Tyler loved him. All he’d heard were the words ‘I love you’, how would he know that they were directed at him? _Mother fucker,_ Tyler cursed inwardly as realisation flooded through his mind. Josh had walked in to Tyler saying the words ‘I love you’ to _Mark._

“FUCK.” Tyler’s eyes widened, and Mark chuckled slightly.

“Has the penny dropped?” He asked sarcastically and pulled a shocked Tyler up from the sofa. “You need to find him and tell him the truth, or else he’ll go around thinking that its _me_ that you have the hots for.”

“You think I don’t know?” Tyler said frantically as he pulled on his jacket. “ _Fuck_ Mark, how could I be so stupid? God knows what Josh is thinking now, especially after him and I kissed earlier.”

“Well go and find him, you idiot,” Mark said, pushing Tyler out the door and slamming it behind him.

Tyler hurriedly gave the door key to Mark, and started to run down the corridor; his heart was pounding, and he couldn’t rid Josh’s hurt expression from his mind. How had this happened? One minute they were kissing, and the next Josh was under the impression that it was _Mark_ that Tyler was in love with. Well he couldn’t be more wrong.

 

As soon as Tyler stepped outside to where Hayley and the other stood, he scanned the area for Josh.

“Hey,” he panted, rushing over to Jenna. “You seen Josh?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a confused expression on her face. “He left a few minutes ago. I think he said something about going for a walk…to clear his head?” She pointed towards the gates of the apartment block.

Shit. Josh had gone, and he still thought that Tyler didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

“Why, what’s happened? Is he okay?” Jenna touched Tyler’s arm softly, and cocked her head to one side.

“I don’t fucking know, Jenna,” Tyler’s voice broke, and he tore away from her, running in the direction that Josh had gone. How could things have messed up so easily? Tyler didn’t know where he was going, and he didn’t know what he would say to Josh if he found him. He just knew that he needed to make things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY GUYS ANGST MAKES ME SAD but I promise it will be worth it if ya know what I mean...don't forget to leave kudos and comment pls frens ;)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long to update ahhhhh

Jenna Black – 12:30PM

_Are you up?_

Tyler sighed, and rolled over to the other side of the bed. He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to face the day. Sure, he was a little hungry, but he didn’t even want to eat. It had been five days since he had last spoken to Josh, and he was beginning to realise that to have something so amazing taken away so quickly was the worst feeling in the world.

Jenna Black – 12:40PM

_You can’t stay in bed all day._

Tyler groaned once more and quickly typed a reply. He wished that he could just be left alone; the only person he wanted to see right now was Josh, and that seemed almost impossible.

Tyler Joseph – 12:43PM

_I can and I will_

Jenna Black - 12:45PM

_Put some pants on._

Jenna Black – 12:45PM

_I’m on my way._

Tyler stared at the swirls of paint on the ceiling before rubbing his eyes and rolling out of bed. Landing in a lump on the floor, he shook his head to clear his mind of sleep deprived thoughts – yet he couldn’t stop thinking about Josh.

 Josh. The one person that had inspired him to get out of bed in the morning, and now what had happened? Tyler had been reduced to wearing unwashed pyjamas all day, and only cooking a ready meal when he felt like he was about to pass out. To be honest it wasn’t much different to his old life, but now he’d experienced what it was like to be in love with the most perfect person in the world, nothing seemed satisfactory anymore. For a moment, he wondered if Josh felt the same way – but then he cast his mind back to the day that they kissed.

It had been pretty much ruined within hours. He hadn’t even been given the chance to tell Josh the truth; as soon as Tyler had caught up with him, it was too late.

The builders in Josh’s apartment had been finished for days, and Tyler hadn’t even realised that Josh was deliberately staying in his apartment for them to spend more time together. But not anymore. As soon as Tyler had entered his apartment, he’d been welcomed by an empty space where Josh’s bags and clothes once were. The apartment seemed lifeless without him.

Every time Tyler knocked on the apartment next door, Josh always seemed to be out – or not answering the door, at least. He wasn’t answering his phone, and Tyler was ashamed to admit that he’d even attempted to knock through the wall like Josh had once done. Unfortunately, the builders had done a pretty good job of patching it up.

A flash of blue hair had been seen upon occasion down in the main entrance or entering the lift, but never for long enough to approach. Actually initiating a conversation with Josh appeared to be impossible. Tyler may have well just given up from square one.

Burying his face in the carpet, Tyler sighed softly. He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to face Jenna. He wanted to… he wanted to sleep.

//

_Racing up the stairs, Tyler’s legs began to collapse beneath him, and he gazed down in wonder at the strange pools they made of skin and bone on the floor. No, he thought in agony, you have to find him, or else he’ll never understand._

_“Josh!” He screamed up the stairs, but no one replied. A hollow whistle of the wind echoed through the corridor, and the stairs spiralled into endless swirls above him. Crying out in pain that he almost couldn’t comprehend, Tyler stopped._

_“I love you…” He called out quietly._

_“Tyler?” Josh’s voice echoed through the corridor and Tyler’s heart skipped a beat._

_“Josh?” He looked around in confusion at the empty space. “Where are you?”_

_Suddenly, Tyler felt a strange pull on his arm. It dragged him towards the ground, and he grunted with the effort it took to remain on the stairs._

_“I’m here Tyler,” Josh replied, and his voice continued to echo through the empty corridor. “You need to get up.”_

_“What?” Tyler had never been more confused. He tried to shake the invisible pull from his arm._

_“Are you actually dead?” Josh spoke a little louder, and Tyler dropped to his knees. He began to sink into the floor._

_“What are you talking about?” The room transformed into a mess of blurry lines._

_“Swear to god, Tyler,” Josh continued, shouting down the corridor. “IF YOU DON’T GET UP RIGHT…”_

“RIGHT NOW THEN I’M GOING TO BEAT YOUR SORRY ASS INTO THE FLOOR,” Mark finished. Tyler opened his eyes.

“HE’S ALIVE,” Mark exclaimed and dropped the arm that he’d been tugging on. _Ah_ , Tyler thought back to his dream. _That made more sense._

“Right,” Jenna said, standing next to Mark with her arms crossed. “You’re going to get up, have a shower and face the day or else Mark and I will literally pound you to the ground”. She raised an eyebrow, and Tyler knew he was defeated.

“Fine, but no matter what you say, I’m not going to that fucking café for the billionth time this month. I don’t care how much you guys love it; it solves literally none of my problems.”

//

Tyler glared at the yellow lights of the café. Who even liked the colour yellow, anyway? It was a ridiculously happy colour. Tyler groaned and slumped down into his chair; he frowned at Mark and Jenna sitting opposite him, and they returned his expression with equally sarcastic smiles.

“Face it Tyler, you were rotting away in that apartment of yours,” Jenna said as if it was a statement. “You needed a little fresh air and human company, even if it’s spent with someone far too interested in your love life.” She batted her eyelashes, and Tyler rolled his eyes.

“How is Josh, anyway?” Mark asked, sitting up.

“How do you think?” Tyler returned in a monotone voice. “Josh probably still thinks that I’m in love with _you_.”

“Yes,” he continued, turning to Jenna. “It’s as ridiculous as it sounds.” Jenna snorted, leaning back into her seat. She scratched her head slightly before gazing around the café.

“Why don’t you just tell him that he’s grasped the wrong end of the stick?”

“If only it was that simple,” Tyler said in exasperation. “He’s avoiding me like I’ve got the plague. It’s as if he’d a spent a week in my apartment before deciding that he hates me and never wants to see me again. I’ll be fucking shocked if I ever do see him again - it’s like wherever I go, he finds the necessity to treat it like it’s a war zone. The next time I’ll see him will be the monthly fire drill for our apartment block,” he sighed and waved his arms in a strangely sarcastic euphoria. He wasn’t even joking; he had the fire drill date written in his calendar as the closest possible date he could tell Josh the truth.

“Mind you, he’d probably rather burn to death than have to come into contact with me,” Tyler finished, closing his eyes for a moment.

“Tyler?” Jenna said softly, and Tyler raised his eyebrows at her tone of voice. Nothing she could say would make the situation better.

“Josh is walking across the café towards our table.”

 _Shit._ Tyler looked up in alarm. Sure enough, Josh Dun was making his way towards their table and suddenly, Tyler couldn’t think straight to save his life. Literally. He’d never been one to act like he was straight, but this was taking it to a whole other level because _holy fuck,_ Josh looked hot.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Tyler hissed at Mark and Jenna. He hurriedly touched his hair and suddenly became rather away of the bags under his eyes and the unshaved stubble on his chin.

“Um, take a wild guess,” Mark replied sarcastically, gesturing his hands towards Josh. Tyler took another quick glance and realised that Josh was wearing his usual skinny jeans but this time, they were paired with a smart white apron. He carried a tray in his hands, and held a rather paranoid look on his face. Carrying a tray? Wearing an apron? There was no doubt that Josh was a waiter. And he just so happened to be serving Tyler’s table. _Yep,_ Tyler thought in exasperation, _God has well and truly stitched me up this time._

As soon as Josh reached the table, Jenna burst into tiny fits of laugher. Tyler glared at her as she hid her smile behind her napkin. How the hell could she find this funny? This was a disaster.

“So,” Josh began, clearing his throat. He smoothed the apron with his free hand, and his eyes flicked for a moment towards Tyler before he returned his gaze to the floor.

“You ordered two milkshakes and a coffee?”

“The coffee is for Tyler, in case you couldn’t tell,” Mark chuckled, waving his hands towards the bags under Tyler’s eyes. He really wasn’t making the situation any better.

“Thanks Mark,” Tyler muttered and sat up a little, turning his gaze towards an uncomfortable Josh.

 _Come on,_ he told himself in determination. _You fucked things up, and now it’s your chance to fix them._ But what could he do? He couldn’t exactly just blurt out in the middle of the café that he didn’t love Mark, he loved Josh instead. Tyler needed to get Josh alone, and he needed to do it now.

“And the strawberry milkshake,” Josh asked quietly. Trembling slightly, he placed the coffee cup on the table; Tyler felt his heart melt at the sight of Josh’s shaking fingers, and he knew that he wanted nothing more than to just hold his hands and tell him that everything was okay. Jenna extracted herself from the napkin and flashed Josh a bright smile.

“The milkshake is for-“

“WAIT.” Tyler blurted out. A few people turned around to find the source of the interruption, but Tyler’s eyes were on Josh. _Fuck,_ he began to panic. What the hell would he say now? He hadn’t exactly thought this one through.

Mark looked at Tyler. Jenna looked at Tyler. Josh looked at Tyler – and he straightened his back in anticipation. Tyler stood up; he cleared his throat and raised his eyes to Josh.

“Can we go somewhere more-” He stopped. _Was that…? Had Josh…?_ Tyler looked at Josh as if he was seeing him for the first time. Something seemed different – strange almost. Then he realised.

“You have pink hair,” Tyler croaked, staring up at Josh. He looked amazing. He looked hot. He looked better than ever before, if that was even possible. Tyler gulped, and suddenly he realised that he seemed to have developed an incapability to form words.

“Yeah,” Josh replied in an offhand manner. “I dyed it again.”

Tyler stared at Josh and took in his appearance. It seemed as if he was the only person in the café, and as Tyler began to swoon over the pink hair resting casually beside Josh’s eyes, he took a step forward. Jenna and Mark were forgotten to him, and he no longer cared that he looked like shit, or that he’d almost lost Josh to a stupid misunderstanding. The only thing that mattered was that Josh was here, and he looked amazing.

“Y-you look…” Tyler stammered, and he reached out his hand as if he thought it was a privilege to be anywhere near Josh. His stepped forwards once more.

Suddenly, his feet slid from under him. Tyler yelped in surprise and threw up his arm to catch the table ledge, but his fingers caught the edge of Josh’s tray and it catapulted into the air.

Everything seemed as if it was in slow motion. Josh’s mouth opened in surprise, and he threw himself to the side to catch the falling tray. It was too late. The tray clattered to the floor, and an explosion of banana and strawberry milkshake was colliding into the air. As it splattered on the polished tiles, Josh’s feet slid along the liquid and he began to fall in Tyler’s direction.

It was a mess. Tyler landed on his back with a thump, a puddle of strawberry milkshake, and an extremely confused Josh lying on his chest. They lay there for a moment, nose to nose, before someone came rushing over. The café came to life; napkins were waved on demand, and clatter of tables and chairs drowned out the soft sound of the radio.

“Shit, are you okay?” Mark knelt down to clean up the mess. Looking up at Josh, Tyler revelled in the warmth of his breath and the feeling of his heartbeat against his chest. He didn’t care if his back felt like it had been stabbed by a thousand pins, or that he was covered in milkshake. It was worth it for Josh.

“Uh,” Josh muttered, a blush forming across his cheeks. He began to scrambled away from Tyler. Suddenly, Tyler felt his own arm wrap around Josh’s side, pulling him back closer to his body. What was he doing? Not only had he made a fool of himself, but now he wanted to make it even worse?

“Y-you made a mistake,” he said involuntarily. _Nice choice of words,_ Tyler mentally kicked himself. _Very eloquent._

“ _I_ made a mistake?” Josh raised an eyebrow, and Tyler laughed nervously beneath him. How had this happened? Of all the times Tyler had imagined telling Josh the truth about the day they kissed, he’d never once thought of it like this. He’d imagined it to be romantic - yet here they were, lying on top of each other and covered in milkshake slime.

“I’m not in love with Mark,” he blurted out. Josh stopped. He swallowed, and Tyler watched his adam’s apple flitter up and down in his throat.

“You’re not?”

“No.” _Tell him you love him,_ Tyler screamed inside his head. But he couldn’t. Not yet. He couldn’t risk the rejection, and he didn’t want to lose Josh again. The first time had been hell.

“Then…what did I walk in on?” Josh asked quietly. Tyler watched him bite his lip, and he felt his heart dance erratically in his chest. God, he’d missed this feeling.

“I…I can’t say. Not yet. Please Josh, you just have to trust me on this,” Tyler whispered. “I don’t love him.”

Josh smiled slightly, and Tyler felt like the sun was coming out.

“Okay,” he replied. “I trust you.”

 _MOTHER FUCKER._ Tyler could hear fanfares playing in his head. He wanted to jump for joy, and he felt like he suddenly had enough energy to run a marathon. Unfortunately, exercise wasn’t his strong point. As Josh held out a hand to help him up, Tyler felt like he’d never be sane again. Clambering to his feet, he looked around in a daze at all the people cleaning the milkshake from the floor; he stole a glance at Jenna and Mark and found them grinning profusely in his direction.

They were right. It was going to be okay. It was going to be amazing. Tyler tried to push thoughts of Josh and his gorgeous pink hair out of his mind, but he didn’t need to anymore. He didn’t know whether Josh liked him or loved him or just wanted to be his friend, but he really couldn’t give any fucks at all. Josh wasn’t mad at him. He didn’t hate him. And that was good enough for Tyler.

“Tyler?” He spun around to come face to face with Josh. Tyler’s heart missed a beat, and he fiddled nervously with the hem of his t-shirt. What would Josh say to him? Did he even like him anymore?

“Drop by my apartment in an hour. I get off my shift at 5, so I should be home by then,” Josh said quietly. His voice was tainted with a darker tone, and Tyler felt shivers down his spine at the thought of being alone with Josh in just one hour’s time.

As he watched Josh walk away, he let out a breath. His head was crowded with thoughts, and he took a moment to mentally thank Jenna and Mark. In the space of one morning, Tyler had been dragged out of bed, forced to go to a café he hated, seen the person he loved most in the world, covered ‘said person’ in strawberry milkshake, and arranged a meet up with him at his apartment in one hour. It had been a roller coaster of emotions.

 _Fuck it,_ Tyler thought as he straightened his collar. He’d kiss Josh at least one more time if it killed him. A smile spreading across his face, Tyler let the door of the café swing closed behind him as he looked down at his phone. 4:31PM. 59 minutes to go. 59 minutes to spare. 59 minutes until he had one last chance to make Josh Dun fall in love with him.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading frens, if you have the time then pls comment what you thought :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update guys, I've been pretty busy with mock exams and work and stuff BUT here's a pretty long chapter in apology. YOU GUYS WILL LIKE THIS I SWEAR OKAY minimal angst

The ticking of Tyler’s clock was deafening in his apartment, and his vision blurred into an endless sea of wallpaper as he stared at the wall. If he looked close enough, he could just about make out the tiny crack where Josh had broken through with the hammer. God, Tyler thought, chuckling to himself. That seemed like a decade ago. A decade? It had been a decade since he’d last checked the time. Tyler eagerly tore his eyes away from the wall and looked at the clock. Typical, he sighed. It had barely been a few minutes since he’d last checked; time appeared to be passing slower than it ever had before.

5 o’clock. Tyler didn’t want to be too early, but he didn’t want to be late either. Part of him wished that Josh lived a few blocks away – at least he’d then have time to think as he paced from his apartment to Josh’s. Even a change of scenery might help his thought process, but all he had to stare at was the cream coloured wallpaper with the tiny crack. But that was okay. It wasn’t like he needed to explain anything to Josh; he knew that he didn’t love Mark and that was that. Then why was he so nervous? Did it have something to do with the way his heart fluttered in his chest when he thought of a second chance to kiss Josh? Did it have something to do with the thought of running his hands through Josh’s hair at least one more time? Probably.

Yet Tyler couldn’t rid himself of those nerves. He’d just have to accept them… and wait. Only for a few more minutes. And then he would have to wait a little longer for 5 o’clock. Which would arrive just after he waited for half 4.

Losing himself in a spiral of thoughts and expectations, Tyler stared at the clock and waited.

//

“Come on,” Tyler hissed to himself. He paced up and down the corridor before turning to face Josh’s apartment.  
“This is fine. You’re fine,” he muttered and bore his gaze into the carpet. Taking a deep breath, Tyler raised his hand and tapped on the door with his knuckles. There, he thought happily, you did it. Somehow, he’d conveniently forgotten that he actually had to get through the evening with Josh.

Suddenly the door flew open, and a slightly dishevelled Josh appeared in the doorway. His newly dyed hair was crumpled into waves of pink, and his faced held an almost worried expression.  
“Hey,” he breathed out, and Tyler felt his heart squeeze.  
“You okay?” He asked before stepping into the apartment. It looked a little tidier than it had before Josh had moved back in, and the walls seemed flawless compared to the gaping hole that had appeared a month ago.  
“Yeah, I’m pretty good thanks.” Josh’s face had lost the anxious expression, and he flashed Tyler a grin as they walked into the kitchen.  
“You want a drink?”  
“Nah I’m alright,” Tyler began to settle himself on the sofa and he smiled naturally as he watched Josh turn to face him.

Tyler felt amazing. He could almost laugh to think about how nervous he’d been to see Josh again – now it just felt like the past week had never happened. It was like they could just pick up where they left off; Tyler ducked his head to hide a smile as he thought about kissing Josh again. Would Josh even want to pick up where they left off? Or would he pretend to forget that anything had happened between the two of them? It was torture, but god Tyler was more than willing to go through hell if it meant he’d have another chance with Josh.

“Anyway,” Josh interrupted Tyler’s thoughts. “It’s a good job you don’t want a drink – the kettle’s broken,” he chuckled slightly and sat down next to Tyler on the sofa.  
Tyler grinned and looked around the room as he noticed a few broken appliances and the door that seemed to be only just clinging onto its hinges.  
“Guess they never really fixed the apartment, huh?”  
“Nah,” Josh replied. “I should probably complain, but I’m not that bothered. As long as everything sort of still works then I don’t mind.”  
“Yeah,” Tyler laughed and looked up at Josh, shuffling a little closer to him on the sofa. “It’s pretty much the same ‘problem apartment’ as it’s always been.”  
Smiling, Josh met his gaze, and Tyler suddenly felt as if his head was spinning.  
“I guess some things never change,” Josh said softly. He tore his gaze away from Tyler’s and laughed as if he was sharing a private thought with himself. The apartment seemed stiller than it ever had and only the sound of quiet city life drifted in through the open window. It wasn’t perfect, but Tyler was happy.

“Hey,” Josh spoke suddenly. Tyler looked up to meet his gaze and as lock of pink hair fell over Josh’s forehead, he resisted the urge to brush it from his face. He couldn’t – he just couldn’t. Not yet. He couldn’t risk losing everything he’d managed to piece back together. Even as just a friend, Josh made him happy and Tyler loved the rush that feeling gave him.

“Yeah?” he choked out. For a moment, the silence lay thick in the air, and Tyler watched Josh’s eyelashes flutter next to each other as he blinked. He watched the parting of his lips as he took in a breath and then released it as if he was releasing a song bird from its cage. He saw the slight quiver of Josh’s hair as a cold gust of wind flew through the apartment – and then he couldn’t see anything.

Wait – what? Tyler blinked. Why was everything black? Had he gone blind? What the fuck was going on? He flailed around helplessly in the darkness and rubbed his eyes in panic.  
“Josh?” He gulped. This is it, he thought in alarm, I’ve finally gone crazy.  
Suddenly, a giggle echoed through the apartment. What the fuck? Tyler shot away from the sofa and grabbed the nearest object he could find. Wielding a half eaten sandwich, Tyler readied himself to fight.

“Tyler?” Josh’s voice laughed through the darkness. “What the hell are you doing?”  
Tyler tried to both peer through the darkness and understand what was going on. Had he actually gone blind? Was he partaking in some sort of surprise horror film?  
“Josh?” He repeated, dropping the sandwich on the floor. “Where are you?”  
“I’m right here.” Tyler felt a hand touch his own and despite the confusion he felt sparks fly through his arm.  
“It’s a power cut Tyler.”  
_Oh._ That did make more sense.  
“Calm down,” Josh laughed even harder, and even through the darkness Tyler could just about make out his grin.

He felt like an idiot. _Nice one Tyler,_ he mentally screamed, _it’s a fucking power cut and you try to attack Josh with a sandwich_. He might as well have jumped out of the window while he was at it – it probably would have spared him the embarrassment.

“Oh,” he forced himself to laugh. “I knew that.” Tyler heard Josh chuckled from across the living room, and he screwed up his face in the darkness. _Well done,_ he thought sarcastically _, that really saved the situation._

“Here we go,” Josh murmured and for a moment, there was only silence. Suddenly, the living room was illuminated with a soft yellow glow; it flickered on and off as the flame spat out sparks, but Tyler could see Josh’s face from across the room. The low light made his skin look golden, and Tyler felt as if Josh had never looked more beautiful. His stomach tying itself into tiny knots of agony, Tyler walked towards his friend.

“You okay now?” Josh laughed a little as he placed the candle on the coffee table.  
“Yeah, just about,” Tyler snorted and flopped back down on the sofa. He looked up at Josh, and they smiled at each other before Josh’s face seemed to grow with childlike excitement.  
“What’re you doing?” he grabbed Tyler’s hand with enthusiasm. “It’s a power cut! We can’t just sit here doing nothing.”  
“Can we not?” Josh tugged on his hand, and Tyler giggled before standing up. For some reason, Josh didn’t let go of his hand and Tyler sucked in a breath as his fingers shook next to Josh’s.  
“It’s boring inside, anyway,” he continued. “Let’s go out!” Pulling Tyler towards the door, he stopped.  
“What’s the matter? I thought you wanted to go out?”  
“I-I don’t…” Josh’s face had dropped into what Tyler could only describe as embarrassment. He tightened his grip on Josh’s hand.  
“You can trust me.”  
Looking up at Tyler’s face in the dim light, Josh sighed. He nodded his head.  
“Um, I-I don’t really have much money to go out right now,” he rolled his eyes as if he was trying to pretend he didn’t care. “I’m broke.”

Tyler could have laughed. Did Josh really think that he cared about money? He could throw every last ten pound note he owned out of the window and still be up for having a good time as long as it was with Josh  
“So?” he said carelessly and Josh looked up in surprise. “We don’t need money.”  
The smile returned to Josh’s face.  
“Come on,” Tyler grinned. Mustering up the confidence to take the lead for once, he pulled Josh back into the living room and blew out the candle.

Tyler staggered blindly through the darkness; he gripped tightly onto Josh’s hand and pulled him through the room. Tyler felt only happiness. He could feel the hot texture of Josh’s palm against his own and although he could barely see a single ray of light, he felt as if his body was being flooded with millions. Stumbling over chairs and pieces of drum kit, Tyler smiled wider than he ever had before as his voice harmonised with Josh’s laughter.

They reached the window almost immediately, and Tyler pushed it open fully with his free hand. Suddenly, cold air and the sound of traffic gushed into the room and the setting sun cast rays of light into the apartment as it lingered on the horizon.  
“What are you doing?” Josh raised his voice above the noise of the city.  
“Follow me,” Tyler shouted back and placed his free arm on the window ledge.  
Climbing through the frame, he pushed the curtains back and faced the city in all its glory. For a moment, he wondered whether he was insane, but then he smiled in clarity, gripped Josh’s hand a little tighter, and pushed himself out of the window.

There was nothing but empty space. Falling through the night’s sky, Josh shout of surprise drowned itself in the sound of the city and Tyler closed his eyes with exhilaration. Submerging himself in the feeling of limitlessness, he threw his head back and let the wind rush through his hair.

In a matter of seconds, they hit the ground. Yet somehow, it wasn’t the ground. It wasn’t made of stone. It didn’t press hard against Tyler’s head – instead, it embraced them in a blanket of warmth and comfort. Leaning back into the pillow by his head, Tyler caught his breath and turned to the beautiful man lying beside him.  
“What the fuck?” Josh sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What the hell just happened?”  
Tyler laughed at Josh’s befuddled expression; he looked around the balcony to the ladder leading up to his apartment window.  
“I got you good there, right?” he nudged Josh’s shoulder.  
“You’re telling me, I thought you’d gone and fucking killed us,” Josh chuckled in a breathless voice. His eyes were bright and Tyler could relate to the look of elation spreading across his face.  
“Where even are we?”  
Tyler leaned over to gaze at the bright lights of the city beneath them; they sparkled and shone up to him through the air in fragments of gold and silver.  
“I call it my own private balcony,” he replied, half joking. “I don’t think it belongs to anyone, so I put a mattress down here and set some ladders against the wall. It’s pretty much my favourite place to be.” He smiled shyly and watched Josh gaze out over the edge of the balcony.  
“I love it,” Josh said softly; he pulled the blanket beside them over his shoulders and shuffled a little closer to Tyler. Trying not to let his racing heartbeat get the better of his nerves, Tyler leaned slightly against Josh’s figure.  
“It’s only a few metres beneath our apartment block – I knew the fall wouldn’t hurt you,” Tyler continued, chuckling to ease his nerves. He didn’t want Josh to think he’d risk his safety, whether it made him seem exciting or not.  
“It felt like we were falling forever,” Josh replied quietly. His lips quirked up into a smile, and he pointed at the distant lights of houses.

The immediate area was swallowed up into a black abyss and Tyler was reminded of the power cut that brought them here. Suddenly, it seemed so significant that he marvelled to think that he’d managed to place his and Josh’s chance together into the hands of fate – or something like that anyway.

For a while they both just sat there, pointing out buildings or noises every so often to pass the time with conversation. Then as time slowed to a standstill and the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the blanket somehow managed to end up covering them both as they lay back on the mattress. Tyler’s breath formed tiny clouds of mist in the air and he held his hand up to trace shapes in the sky.

He felt amazing. He felt surreal. He felt as if he was about to wake up from a dream. To think that the day had started with the dread of having to face another day without Josh seemed almost laughable now to Tyler. Somehow, he’d managed to pick it up and turn it back around. He didn’t even care if Josh only ever wanted to be his friend; as long as he could wake up in the morning knowing that he’d be able to look into the eyes he loved so much and smile then he was happy.

“You see that?” Josh spoke suddenly. Tyler turned to look at his face, jumping a little when a strand of pink hair brushed against his face.  
“See what?”  
“I saw a shooting star.” Tyler snapped his gaze back to the sky, yet he saw nothing but darkness. _As if_ , he thought sarcastically, _I live in fucking America, not a John Green book._  
“Did you?” he asked doubtfully, and Josh’s replied with a laugh.  
“Nah,” he winked at Tyler. “All I see is some more fucking clouds.”  
Tyler chuckled and rolled his eyes, elbowing Josh in the stomach.  
“Hey Josh,” he said playfully. “What happens if it rains?”  
Josh furrowed his brow, pretending it was a difficult question as Tyler smirked.

Immediately, he rolled over to Tyler and blew a cloud of mist into his face.  
“If it rains,” he began with a gleam in his eye. “We do this.”  
In a matter of seconds, Josh had delved under the blanket and pulled it over both his and Tyler’s heads; he nuzzled into Tyler’s forearm like a little kid, and Tyler laughed with surprise.  
“Get the fuck off me, you idiot,” he said in a muffled voice, suppressing a grin. _For someone who looked like they could model in Calvin Klein magazines, Josh was surprisingly childish,_ Tyler thought to himself in amusement.

Oh god, could he have been more wrong.

Suddenly, Josh had emerged from the blanket, and he lay nose to nose with Tyler’s face. His eyelashes were so close that they almost fluttered on his cheeks, and even despite the cold his breath was hot on Tyler’s lips. Oh fuck, Tyler thought in alarm, I was not expecting this. As his cheeks flooded with redness, Josh’s hand slid from beneath the blanket to lightly touch the curve of Tyler’s thigh.  
“Um,” Tyler coughed out in surprise. MOTHER FUCKER, he screamed to himself silently. WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SPEAKING, NOW OF ALL MOMENTS?  
“Tyler?” Josh whispered, leaning forwards. He had lost any traces of cheap fun and his eyes held an almost incalculable expression.  
“What’s the matter?” He murmured. Slowly, he turned his head to brush his lips against Tyler’s neck, and Tyler let out an audible gasp. He was paralysed with astonishment, and his blood pumped through his body in an erratic motion.

What was Josh doing? The way his lips brushed softly against Tyler’s neck and his hands touched his hips lightly made Tyler almost believe that he was…taunting him?

“We’re okay, right?” Josh moved his mouth to Tyler’s ear, whispering the words in a low voice. Tyler gulped and jerked his head in agreement. He could barely breathe – did Josh want this just as much as he did?  
“W-why wouldn’t we be okay?” he forced himself to say. For a moment Josh paused, and then he smiled, wetting his lips with his tongue. Tyler suppressed a sigh as it brushed over his neck. What the hell was Josh’s game?  
“I mean,” Josh continued to push himself closer to Tyler’s body. “After the little, um, _misunderstanding_ we had the other day, I just wanted to check that we were still…” he trailed off, and Tyler had just about enough will power to half heartedly roll his eyes.

Josh continued to press himself up against Tyler’s chest, and Tyler tried to ignore the way his hips twitched in a desperate urge to push back.  
“You know,” Josh whispered almost inaudibly, and Tyler marvelled at how he was managing to continue to talk. “You upset me kinda badly the other week,” he said with an innocent tone to his voice. Ironically, he continued to brush his lips against Tyler’s neck whilst he ran his hands up and down his legs, edging closer to between his hips.  
“I-I didn’t mean to,” Tyler blurted out; his voice cracked slightly as he spoke, but Josh only pulled him closer into an embrace of skin on skin.  
“I know,” he replied softly as his tongue darted out playfully to wet his lips. “You just need a little…” Josh trailed off into silence and Tyler swallowed painfully, trying to ignore the hardness between his legs.  
Suddenly, Josh was pulling Tyler even closer, and he pressed his lips fully against Tyler’s neck, gripping his hips and grinding them against his own. 

Gasping at the sudden friction, Tyler reached up to touch Josh’s hair. He entwined his fingers in the soft pink locks and gently pulled upwards to meet Josh’s face with his own. _Mother fucker,_ Tyler could hardly form thoughts let alone words as he noticed that Josh’s pupils were blown into visible desire. Shrugged off any doubts or regrets into the cold night’s air, Tyler closed his eyes and leaned forwards to seal the gap.

They were kissing - there was no doubt about that. Yet it felt like so much more than kissing. As Tyler pressed his mouth against Josh’s soft lips, he felt as if his mind was being flooded with tangible elation. His groin was rubbing painfully against Josh’s hips but sparks of arousal were already shooting through his body. Somehow, it felt even better than the first kiss. It felt astounding. It felt euphoric. It felt – huh? Tyler paused as his lips disconnected with Josh’s.

 Why was Josh pulling away? 

Tyler opened his eyes in confusion. Josh had retreated slightly and was moving away from Tyler with an unreadable expression on his face. What the fuck? Tyler felt distraught. Why was he doing this? Didn’t he want to – _oh god._ Tyler stopped in his tracks.

Josh had moved his head down and was beginning to press his lips onto Tyler’s chest. Slowly – carefully, he reached up to pull his t-shirt down a little to trail a line of kisses along Tyler’s collarbone. Tyler could barely breathe let alone respond to what Josh was doing; yet again, he felt paralysed with shock. As Tyler let out an inevitable moan, Josh pulled back once more.

Looking up at Tyler’s dumbfounded face, he grinned. For a moment, they just lay there, staring into each other’s eyes in both shock and amusement before Tyler took his first breath in what seemed like hours.

“Wha-what was that for?” he cleared his throat and looked down in embarrassment at the rather obvious situation that his jeans were making. He licked his lips shamelessly to taste any lingering traces of Josh.

Immediately, Josh smirked and placed a heated forefinger underneath Tyler’s chin; he lifted his head up for them to meet eyes. Tyler looked back in amazement as Josh took a breath.

Suddenly, Josh was leaning forward once more, and he placed a light kiss on Tyler’s lips. It was barely lighter than a butterfly’s wings, but it sent Tyler’s heart racing faster than it ever had before. Then, Josh sprang to his feet and began to climb the ladder leading to Tyler’s apartment. For a moment, he looked back at Tyler and a smug expression spread across his face, as if he knew something that no one else did. 

“Payback,” he said in a simple, low voice before winking at Tyler and disappearing through the window frame.

Watching Josh disappear into his apartment, Tyler flopped back onto the mattress. His head was pounding and he knew that even the dullness of a cloudy night would never ease his restless thoughts. What the hell did ‘payback’ even mean? Did Josh want to be with him or not? Tyler stared at distant city lights and allowed a smile to spread across his face.

 _Who the fuck cares,_ he thought in happiness. _Josh Dun wants me whether he likes it or not._ Come to think of it, Tyler didn’t care if Josh’s expression of love was throwing Tyler off his favourite balcony. As long as Josh wanted him with as much passion as he put into teasing him, then Tyler was happy. Oh god, was he happy. Closing his eyes to the sound of the city, Tyler forgot that he was ever miserable at all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took ages to write wow, pls tell me what you all thought of it! I love reading your comments bc you're all so kind and you give me motivation to write new chapters yay. ALSO I was thinking of writing a lil chapter with a Christmas theme bc liKE we're edging towards the season to be merry??? I love you all and hope you're having a good day <3


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!! I finally wrote the Christmas chapter omg I hope you all enjoy it :)

Tyler awoke to the sound of thudding against his wall. Opening his eyes, he gazed around blearily as he realised that he was no longer lying on the balcony. For a moment he had almost forgotten all about what had happened last night, but then it came flooding back to him in a wave of delight. After spending a few hours on the balcony with Josh, he’d spent a little while grinning to himself before finally returning to his apartment and falling asleep.

 _Damn right,_ he thought cheerfully, sitting up in bed. He’d kissed Josh for the second time. On consideration, Josh had kissed him and he’d kissed back; but it was nowhere near how he hoped he could have reacted.

After the breathtaking moment on the balcony with Josh, Tyler felt an inexplicable urge to sweep Josh off his feet. Technically, he’d already done so when he pulled him through the window in his apartment, but Tyler felt as if it was almost his duty to repay Josh for all the happiness he’d given him. Tyler didn’t give a fuck if it sounded cheesy, but he was in love with Josh Dun and he wanted to be able to show it more than he ever had before.

Groggily rubbing his eyes, Tyler realised that the thudding wasn’t in his head. _Oh god._ He was now fully awake. _Please don’t tell me that Josh is breaking through my wall again._

Quickly, Tyler jumped out of bed and raced into the living room; he sighed in relief as he realised that the thudding wasn’t directed at his newly plastered wall. Although his time spend living with Josh had been fun, he really wasn’t prepared to deal with the constant headache of listening to the workers hammer against his wall for multiple hours per day. You could call him bitter all you liked, but Tyler was more than prepared to attack anyone who disrupted his peace and quiet - even Josh.

 _Speaking of Josh,_ Tyler reminded himself as he headed towards the bathroom, _what the hell was he doing?_ The thudding continued to vibrate through the walls of the apartment, and Tyler winced as he felt a jerk against the floorboards.

Whether he was in love with Josh or not, Tyler was nowhere near about to let him fuck up his apartment again. _Right,_ he thought, brushing down his pyjamas and marching towards the front door, _we’re not having this again._

As soon as he reached Josh’s apartment, Tyler knocked on the door and tried to suppress the butterflies in his stomach. It now seemed rather unfortunate that his hair was a mess and he still wore the polar bear pyjamas that he’d worn last night.

Suddenly, the thudding stopped and Tyler held his breath. Then, it continued in what appeared to be heavy hops to the front door. What the fuck could Josh be doing that required this much effort?

“What’s up?” Josh asked breathlessly when he reached the door.

“I was just wonder-” Tyler’s mouth fell open in amusement as he took in Josh’s appearance.

Josh was currently attempting to pull a huge pair of ski pants over his multiple layers of hats, jumpers, and scarves. His face was a colour that could only be described as magenta, and his forehead was beginning to form tiny beads of sweat.

“What on earth are you doing?” Tyler asked incredulously.

“Have you even looked out of the window?” Josh replied, laughing a little as he ripped off the ski pants and tossed them back into his apartment in exasperation. What was he even talking about? The window? Peering into Josh’s living room, Tyler felt a jolt of surprise as he noticed the layer of frost on the window.

Soft flakes of snow were drifting down from the sky, and the floor was covered in a blanket of white; Tyler felt an involuntary smile spread across his face as his mind flickered back to childhood memories of winter.

“You okay?” Josh asked, interrupting Tyler’s nostalgic thoughts. His expression caught the light and Tyler could have sworn he saw a twinkle of acknowledgement in those beautiful eyes of his.

“Yeah,” he said softly, grinning. “Isn’t it a little premature for snow?”

“What?” Josh took a step back and checked his watch sarcastically. “You do realise that it’s mid December?”

 _Oh shit,_ Tyler thought in surprise. He hadn’t particularly been keeping track of time through the arrival of Josh and their rather shaky interlude.

“It’s Christmas in a few weeks, then,” he thought aloud, almost shaking his head in disbelief. Josh chuckled in bewilderment and pulled him into the apartment before closing the door.

“Duh,” Josh replied; he grabbed Tyler’s hand and dragged him to the window. Staring out at the continuous fall of snow, Tyler felt a spark of excitement that he hadn’t felt in years - it was almost as if he was a kid again.

“See?” Josh waved out at the winter weather and turned to smile at Tyler. “You’ve been invited to Frank’s, right?”

“Frank’s?” Tyler repeated blindly. _Could this day be any more full of surprises?_ He didn’t think his poor heart could take another unexpected arrival – or adventure, if you would.

“Yeah,” Josh continued, nodding his head earnestly. “I’m sure he left you a message on your answer machine.” _Oh,_ Tyler thought back to the red light flashing on his phone. _That’s what that was for._ He’d assumed it had just been Mark or Jenna leaving another plea to hear about what had happened with Josh.

“Why, what’s happening at Frank’s apartment?”

“Duh,” Josh repeated, and Tyler giggled as he rolled his eyes. “He’s holding a Christmas party, or a ‘get together’ as he phrased it. You know, just the same people that did the painting with Hayley last month – you should come, it’s after noon.”

 _Christmas party?_ Tyler checked his watch. 12AM. _Ah,_ he inwardly cringed, _party in an hour._ He wasn’t completely sure that he was mentally prepared for something like this. Then again, Josh would be there. There would be wine. Songs. Mistletoe. _Stop,_ Tyler scolded himself. _Stop fantasising._ Yet it would be pretty fucking awesome to kiss Josh under the mistletoe. Pretty fucking romantic. Pretty fucking hopeful for it to happen within 2 hours, Yet what did Tyler have to lose? He could make it to Frank’s get together. He could finally pluck up the courage to make his move with Josh.

“I’ll come,” Tyler blurted out, clapping a hand over his mouth. It was too late.

“Great!” Josh grinned and pulled the hat he was wearing even further over his ears. “Get back to your apartment and take a shower, we’ll leave in 20. Wear something warm,” he winked at Tyler and gently lead him out of the apartment.

 _What have I done? A Christmas party?_ This was rather uncharacteristically social for Tyler. Then again, as long as it meant he had a chance to drink wine and listen to music with Josh then he was up for the best Christmas party ever. Maybe he’d even hang around the mistletoe for a little while. Chuckling at his own cheesiness, Tyler closed the door to his apartment.

//

“I look ridiculous.”

“No you don’t,” Josh smothered a laugh as he reached over to straighten the bobble hat on Tyler’s head. “You look cosy.”

“Have you even seen me?” Tyler glared at Josh. “I look like I’m getting ready to climb Mount Everest.” He furrowed his brow and gestured to the vast amount of coats and scarves he was currently being swamped in. A smile spreading across Josh’s face, he checked his watch.

“Well, I think you look amazing,” he winked, and Tyler felt his face redden. _Shut up,_ he scornfully told himself. _You look like a fucking pom pom._

“Come on,” Tyler said suddenly. “We need to get going if we’re going to make it to Frank’s get together on time. How far is it, anyway?”

“I think his place is about a mile away, but it might take longer seeing as though it’s snowing,” Josh replied, and suddenly his face lit up as if it was Christmas day itself.

“It’s snowing!” he exclaimed and began to pull Tyler down the stairs of the apartment block.

“How could you forget?” Tyler laughed, allowing himself to be tucked by one of his coat sleeves. “I’m sweating like a turkey near Christmas time underneath all of these jumpers.” Josh looked back at him and smiled as he pushed open the outside doors.

The cold air was like a slap in the face; it bit into Tyler’s skin in thousands of tiny knives concealed in coats of white and silver. Slowly – carefully, snowflakes drifted down from the sky and rested in blankets upon the floor and as Tyler took in the scene, his breath caught in his throat.

“Pretty, right?” Josh giggled as he danced on the spot. He seemed to be even more excited than he was when he’d first noticed that it was beginning to feel more like Christmas, and Tyler let out a genuine laugh as he watched Josh’s face light up in enthusiasm. For a moment, they stood still, and then Josh seized Tyler’s hand and began to run through the snow.

“Hey!” Tyler exclaimed in surprise as they hurtled down the street. The roads were quiet, and Josh’s cackled echoed through the streets.

“Come on!” Josh shouted back but his voice was lost in the wind soaring past Tyler’s cheeks. He was beginning to lose his breath, and the sky blurred into a whirlwind of grey behind the red bricks of houses.

As soon as they reached the end of the street, Tyler was greeted by an arch of branches above the crispest layer of snow he’d ever seen. It appeared to be untouched, and as he stared down the forest, he could see a faint row of houses that he assumed to be Frank’s apartment. Turning to Josh, he rolled his eyes when he noticed that Josh was still hopping from foot to foot in excitement.

“Shit Josh, I think that run was probably my workout for the whole year,” he panted, doubling over.

“Nah, you just need a little exercise,” Josh grinned and gently straightened Tyler’s back.

Snowflakes were beginning to gather in the brim of his hat and the wisps of pink hair that curled around his forehead were intertwined in a spiral of frost. His cheeks were glowing above the scarf he wore, and as Tyler glanced at the ground he swore he could see the reflection of Josh’s eyes dancing upon the ice.

“Hey,” Josh broke Tyler’s train of thought with a tap on the shoulder. Looking up at Josh’s radiant expression, Tyler felt fingers tremble in a way that had nothing to do with the cold. _God,_ he thought as his gaze flickered down to Josh’s pale lips. He wanted him more than anything.

“Yeah?” Tyler’s voice shook a little and he blinked rapidly to rid his eyes from the mist creeping over his vision.

“We need to get going,” Josh replied, and Tyler held back a laugh. _Yeah we do,_ he thought in amusement, _but not in the way that you mean._ Wishing that he had the courage to actually do something about his feelings, Tyler leaned in slightly.

Unfortunately, Josh did not lean in. He did not acknowledge Tyler’s gaze. He did not even begin to walk towards Frank’s house. Instead, he began to spin. Slowly at first, and then Josh seized Tyler’s hands once more; he intertwined Tyler’s fingers in his and pulled him slightly closer.

Breathing rapidly, Tyler allowed himself to be pulled alongside Josh. They spun circles in the snow, and Tyler laughed out loud as he watched Josh’s grin blur into an endless sea of white in front of a silver sky. Their hands gripped each other just firmly enough for Tyler to feel secure, yet his heart leaped when he saw snowflakes gathering in Josh’s eyelashes. Once again, he’d lost the ability to think, let alone say anything. They continued to spin.

Josh’s eyelashes were now coated in a layer of frost and his hat lay useless in the snow, his hair now flowing over his forehead in layers of pink. He looked radiant in Tyler’s eyes, and he didn’t care for anyone else’s opinion. His fingers were beginning to grow numb in Josh’s hand, but he continued to stare into those goddamn eyes of his. _You’re so fucking gorgeous,_ Tyler wanted to scream, but the words caught in his throat as if he had an inability to speak. He’d had enough. He wanted Josh, and that was that. Staring at the flecks of gold in Josh’s eyes, Tyler smiled.

“I’m in love with you.”

They stopped spinning. _Oh god._ Tyler broke away from Josh; he clapped a hand over his mouth as if he couldn’t believe it was him that spoke. He looked up at Josh, but his face was almost unreadable. Silently, the snow continued to swirl around them.

 _Well fuck,_ Tyler’s mind was racing with thoughts and anxieties. Was Josh ever going to reply? Surely he liked Tyler back, even if it was only a little bit? After everything? Would he-? Tyler stopped. He abandoned his thoughts and left all expectations of him behind. He didn’t care. This was it – this was the moment it all came down to. It no longer mattered about going to Frank’s bloody Christmas party. It no longer mattered about having a white Christmas. All that mattered was Josh.

Leaning forward upon impulse, Tyler repeated his words by whispering in Josh’s ear. Then, he began to kiss him. Josh’s lips were chapped from the cold, but Tyler cupped his jaw in his hands and slid his tongue across Josh’s bottom lip. It was soft and fleeting, but Tyler’s body was filled with warmth at the kiss; he watched Josh’s eyelashes flutter upon his cheeks as he opened his eyes.

They stood still, and snowflakes continued to gather in the brim of Tyler’s hat.

Silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH lil bit of a cliffhanger! Don't forget to tell me what you guys thought and if you want another themed chapter at some point. I hope you all have a great Christmas guys, I will upload the next chapter asap <3


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all had a fab Christmas! Sorry this chapter took so long to upload but I hate posting short chapters so I thought I'd do a rlly long one :) hope you enjoy

As it turned out, Frank’s party did not meet expectations. There were only a few people that Tyler did not recognise, and the highest form of excitement was the football match that one or two people were watching on TV. Tyler was very much sick of hearing ‘merry christmas everyone’ played quietly on repeat in the corner of the room, and the only interesting entertainment he could find was the depleting pyramid of sausage rolls on the buffet table.

“Hey,” Tyler looked up as Jenna sat down next to him. She smiled as if she knew something that no one else did, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

Tyler began to roll his eyes before stopping himself abruptly. He didn’t have to pretend in front of Jenna – not anymore, anyway. She always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

“I guess,” he sighed, glancing around the living room.

“I’m assuming things didn’t go all too well with Josh,” Jenna grimaced as she took a sip of mulled punch. In one smooth motion, she pushed back her hair and checked her phone. “Mark’s on his way.”

Tyler released a laugh lacking in humour and forced a grin onto his face. “That’ll really get the party started then.”

“As if.” Jenna’s mouth quirked up into a smile. “I don’t think anything could save this disaster of a ‘get together’. Poor Frank, I don’t think he realises that no one appreciates a mature, adult party.”

“Is there even such thing?” Tyler muttered to himself, thinking back to spin the bottle at Gerard’s apartment. _God_ , that had been an eventful night.

He missed those days. Keeping his feelings hidden from Josh and flirting with him at every opportunity had been the most torturous fun he’d ever had. Where was he now? Yearning for a response to the words that came exploding out of his mouth in less than a second? Tyler sighed and pulled his hat a little further over his ears.

“He’ll talk to you, you know,” Tyler jumped as Jenna broke the silence, a smile half written on her face. “He won’t leave you hanging, I know he won’t.”

“But when, Jenna?” Tyler rested his head on her shoulder. Staring at the floor from sideways on, the cracks in the wood joined together to form an endless abyss. Softly, the music continued to play but Tyler listened closely to the sound of life in the next room. Strange. It seemed as if the party really was getting started.

“Soon,” Jenna said quietly, but Tyler yearned to hear the sound of Josh’s voice. He didn’t want to pretend that nothing had been said out there in the snow. He hated that Josh had acted as if everything was normal when they finally continued to walk to Frank’s house. _I love him,_ Tyler thought in desperation. _I want him to love me back._

Suddenly, the door burst open and Frank was stumbling into the living room. Tyler sat up straight and watched all eyes turn to him.

“Frank?” Jenna spoke loudly over the din of the dining room. The door slammed shut and the noise was muffled a little. Almost silently, the crystals on the chandelier began to rattle and a sprig of mistletoe dropped from the ceiling to the floor.

“What’s going on?”  
Frank laughed, grabbing the hands of the people watching football and dragging them to the door. His hair flopped over his forehead in tiny spirals of unruliness and his eyes seemed clouded with intoxication. Tyler felt a slight pang of excitement run through him as he clambered to his feet.

“Are you drunk?” he asking, laughing as Frank shook his head before stumbling over a mince pie and landing face first in the wooden floor.

“Frank, how the fuck can you be drunk?” Tyler pulled his friend to his feet and removed a rasher of bacon from his face in amusement. How the bloody hell _that_ got there, Tyler would never know.

“Literally, all we’ve been drinking is this goddamn awful punch that you’ve made us,” he continued, hearing Jenna cheer in agreement behind him. “No offence,” he added as Frank made a playfully drunk swipe at his face.

“You wish,” Frank slurred in mock disapproval. He leaned in close to Tyler’s ear and for a moment, all was silent.

“They’ve got vodka next door,” he whispered before roaring with laughter and throwing open the door to the dining room.

Frank’s guffaws were drowned in the din. The dining room was filled with people and although they seemed to be holding glasses of what looked like orange juice, they were partying like they’d never had a good time before.

“Hey,” Jenna shouted to Tyler as they walked into the next room. “Can you see Mark?”

“No,” Tyler yelled over the din, but he was only looking for one person, and it wasn’t Mark.

Suddenly, his mind flashed back to Gerard’s party and his drunken search for Josh; his heart ached when he thought of Josh carrying him home in the darkness but that was a memory from the past. He needed to focus on the present.

“Jenna,” Tyler turned to talk to his friend but he was greeted only with the sound of laughter and music. Watching blonde hair disappear into a sea of people, Tyler realised that he was going to have to solve this one alone. After all – no matter how selfish it appeared to be, he wanted Josh for himself.

Tyler began to make his way through the crowd, brushing past cans of cider and the lingering holly leaf. _Damn it,_ he thought with a pang of annoyance. He couldn’t see Josh anywhere, and the reminder of the walk to Frank’s was beginning to creep into his mind like a disease.

“TYLER!” Jumping at the sound of his name, Tyler spun around to come nose to nose with Gerard Way. Stepping back a little, he tried to edge towards the corner of the room. However much he liked his friends, he really didn’t need this right now.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Gerard asked, elongating his syllables with a smile. He nudged Tyler’s shoulder. Flinching at the thought of Josh, Tyler wretched a smile onto his face but before he could reply, a sprig of mistletoe was being flung into his face.

“What the fuck,” he spluttered, removing the plant from his face. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” At this point, Tyler didn’t even care how bitter he sounded. It now felt as if he was against multiple objects to overcome before he could finally find Josh.

“Wasn’t me, man,” Gerard stifled a laugh behind his hand and melted back into the crowd. _Huh?_ Tyler gazed blearily around the room before locking eyes with Brendon who was currently waving a huge bottle of vodka above the crowd. _Of course,_ Tyler mentally rolled his eyes. _Of course it was Brendon that decided to bring the alcohol._ If you trusted anyone to get a party started, it would be Brendon.

Yet that wasn’t exactly what Tyler wanted. Stumbling through the remainder of the horde of people, he took one last scan of the room before collapsing onto the bottom step of the staircase.

Surprisingly, Frank had managed to buy himself a pretty nice house. Tyler suspected that it had something to do with Gerard and his vast income of money but as he watched them kiss beneath the mistletoe in the next room, money was the last thing on his mind. Why couldn’t Tyler have something like that? Everything always seemed to go wrong for him. He was able to identify an abundance of strange hair colours in the dining room, yet not one of them was pink. Or blue. Or anything that looked remotely like Josh.

Sighing beneath the sound of music and voices, Tyler sank into the tiny spot of isolation he’d managed to discover on the stairs. No doubt was the ground floor filled with the chance of a party beneath the bedrooms that withheld the promise of sex – but the stairs were isolated. Alone.

Wallowing in self pity, Tyler did not notice when the living room door came flying open. He did not notice the rather significant presence entering the dining room. He did not even notice the sound of the laugher beginning to fall silent in the place of an oddly loud visitor.

Strangely enough, Tyler managed to notice the rather large spider crawling across the hem of his jeans.

“SHIT,” he leaped up. Tyler began to have unexpected flashbacks to the memory of Josh allowing a tarantula to enter his apartment.

“GET THE FUCK OFF ME,” he screamed and shook his leg to the beat of the music. Mark and Jenna had always labelled him a bad dancer but in this very moment Tyler knew that they couldn’t be more wrong. Watching the spider go flying across the dining room, he smirked in satisfaction as he brushed the remnants of a cobweb from his hands. He never liked spiders. Yet somehow, that wasn’t the problem.

Turning his gaze to the party in the dining room, Tyler now realised that the crowd had quietened down. All eyes were on him. _Ah._ Tyler was suddenly the proud host to a mental block.

“Well,” he began, clasping his hands together. “I never really like-” Tyler stopped speaking. In fact, he stopped moving altogether. _Well done. YOU’VE REALLY DONE WELL FOR YOURSELF THIS TIME._ The crowd was not observing his little spider meltdown. They were witnessing the extremely awkward situation in the dining room.

“Why’s everyone gone quiet?” Josh slurred loudly, making his way into the centre of the party. _Uh oh,_ Tyler gulped, praying that Josh hadn’t seen him. Ironically, Tyler had been searching for him the whole afternoon – but now that he’d found him, he wished that the ground would go right ahead and swallow him whole. 

“Yo Josh.” Tyler heard Gerard’s voice echo slightly with a giggle. Josh spun wildly around, hitting a few people with his extremely drunken arms. Slurring a few apologies, he grinned at Gerard.

“What’re you doing?” Frank hissed beside Gerard; he clutched onto his cider can before brushing his tattooed hand against Gerard’s and disappearing behind the crowd. The silence continued. Laughing obliviously, Josh threw a beer bottle over his shoulder and made his way over to Gerard.

“Mate, I don’t think-” Gerard tried to speak once more before he was cut off by the sound of Josh’s drunken antics knocking another person to the floor. By this point, Tyler wasn’t quite sure whether to marvel at exactly how drunk Josh had managed to get, or how much of an effort Gerard was making to save the situation for both Josh and Tyler’s sake. Sure enough he opened his mouth again, a slightly despairing look flickering into his eyes.

“Josh, Tyle-” This time, Gerard was cut off with the sound of his own words.

“TYLER?” Josh’s exclamation turned heads, and Tyler found himself under scrutiny once more.

 “Um,” he cleared his throat. _Fuck._ Public speaking wasn’t particularly his strong point – especially not when it came to addressing the very drunken love of his life.

“Hi.” _Well,_ he thought, mentally shrugging. _Couldn’t get much worse._

Then again, it _could_ get worse. And it was going to. This time, Josh was determined to see things through.

Staggering through the party, Josh’s legs wobbled beneath him and at one point, Tyler was adamant that he heard a rip in those skinny jeans of his.

“Tyler,” Josh panted once more; although he was drunk to a point beyond belief, he still seemed resolute on making his way over to Tyler. Shaking his head in disbelief, Tyler began to panic slightly. What the hell was he supposed to do? Should he stop Josh? It appeared as if their roles had been reversed from the last party. This time, Tyler was the sober one – but he had no fucking clue what to do with Josh.

For a second, an arm that looked suspiciously like Mark’s shot out, yet Josh continued to power through the crowd. _What was Mark doing? And where was Jenna?_ Surely she should be helping Tyler out in this goddamn painful situation.

As if God himself was answering Tyler’s plea, Jenna stepped out from behind the crowd. Her hair was mussed up and her expression looked a little more worried than Tyler had ever seen it, but she elbowed her way through the crowd with as much determination as Josh.

“What are you doing?” All eyes turned to Jenna. Trying not to laugh, Tyler watched an ‘ _oh shit’_ expression flicker across Jenna’s face before she shook it off and grabbed hold of Josh’s sleeve. As if he had only just noticed that someone else was in the room, Josh’s bleary gaze flashed towards the crowd.

“Doing?” He attempted to repeat Jenna’s words and the crowd snickered slightly at his confusion. Tension still lying thick in the air, the dining room began to echo with mutters.

Suddenly, Josh’s back snapped upright and he waved his beer bottle in the air.

“What am I doing?” he guffawed loudly, a grin spreading across his face. A few laughs followed but Tyler’s face remained passive. What the fuck even _was_ this scene? It was so bizarre that Tyler almost felt as if he was dreaming. Unfortunately, the sound of laughing and jeering was all too real.

“What _am_ I doing!” Josh joined in with the drunken laughs and the sound of the party grew louder.

“Well,” he began once more, a little quieter this time. Suddenly, as if he had realised what his original intentions were, he turned back to Tyler.

“Does everyone know Tyler?” Josh called out. The crowd let loose a few cheers and Tyler felt his face redden at the recognition. Where the fuck was Josh going with this?

“Tyler…” Josh waved an arm towards Tyler’s direction and took a swig of beer. “Is great.”

“Um,” Tyler gulped, forcing out a chuckle. _The fuck do I do,_ his mind began to race wildly. _He’s drunk, and he might let loose that I told him I love him._ Wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, Tyler’s eyes darted around the party as he reassured himself that even if Josh was drunk, he’d never make fun of him. Not after everything.

“He’s just the best person, you know?” Josh continued his rampage. “Guys, guys,” he whispered towards the crowd, and Tyler could have laughed when everyone seemed to gather round to listen to what Josh had to say. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anything so ridiculous in his life.

“I used to think that Tyler was in love with Mark,” Josh’s syllables slurred together and he tipped back his head to roar with laughter as he pointing at Mark.

 _Oh god._ This party had definitely reached the point of no return. Why was Josh bringing that up? Tyler no longer cared about whether or not he was drunk – if that was what Josh thought about on a daily basis then Tyler was willing to put all embarrassment aside and tell Josh that he loved him there and then. Yet he didn’t need to.

“I even tried to pay him back for that,” Josh continued to the crowd, stumbling over his words.

“I thought if I could…” he giggled a little as if a remnant of sobriety was telling him to stop. “If I could tease him a bit, then maybe he’d say sorry for… you know… confusing me,” Josh’s hiccups turned into laugher; the crowd was now looking slightly befuddled rather than entertained, but to Tyler it made perfect sense. ‘Payback.’ It was if all the pieces in a puzzle were finally falling together, yet he felt guilty rather than satisfied. If only Josh had told him sooner how he felt about the whole situation with Mark, then Tyler wouldn’t have doubted him for a second.

“ANYWAY.” The crowd jumped as Josh’s cider can clattered loudly onto the floor.

“That’s aaaaaall over now,” he swayed from side to side and attempted to make eye contact with Tyler. _If someone doesn’t fucking stop him, he’s going to be falling on the floor any second now;_ Tyler bit his lip in apprehension. For some reason, he felt as if this was the final turning point.

“Tyler’s still my best friend,” Josh grinned blearily as the surrounding people chuckled. Tyler felt a mixture of gratification and relief flow through his body and he blushed, smiling down at the floor.

“And you know what,” Josh dropped his voice to a whisper once more, and Tyler wondered whether or not this dramatic monologue would ever end.

“I love him.”

It felt as if time itself had come to a halt. The whole room held its breath but Tyler himself could barely breathe at all. Josh loved him? After all this time? After all this confusion? After all those weeks and months of praying that Josh would finally reciprocate his feelings, the fact that he was now admitting his love for Tyler seemed completely surreal. Yet somehow, Tyler was more than prepared to act upon it.

His face felt like it was on fire and his legs were becoming numb as he watched everyone in the room turn their gazes to him. _Oh god._ What the fuck was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t exactly turn this into some kind of romantic fantasy – Josh was drunk, for god’s sake.  

The sound of Josh’s giggle broke the silence and it was as if Tyler suddenly realised how ridiculous this whole situation was. Who the hell cared if the whole room was staring at him? He certainly didn’t. Tyler needed to get over himself and do the right thing for once. Months and months of being shy had gotten him no where, and now was the time to correct that mistake. _Yeah, Josh is drunk,_ Tyler thought, marvelling at his surprising wave of self confidence. _But that doesn’t mean what he says isn’t true; drunken words are sober thoughts, after all_. Staring at the delirious gaze in Josh’s eyes, Tyler knew that he had to do the right thing.

Slowly, Tyler walked forwards. His legs wobbled a little as he took each step but tried to maintain eye contact with a rather restless Josh. All he wanted was to make sure that Josh was okay and even though all eyes in the room were on Tyler, he still blushed when he saw that Josh’s fingers were trembling by his side.

Trying to avoid Jenna’s cheers and other shouts of encouragement, Tyler took hold of Josh’s hands. A part of him wanted to intertwine his fingers with Josh’s before expressing his infatuation with a kiss – but this wasn’t the main priority. First, he needed to put all feelings aside. He needed to look after his best friend; he needed to take Josh home.

Guiding an extremely numb Josh out from the crowd, Tyler took off his scarf and wrapped it around Josh’s neck. His fingers slightly brushed Josh’s reddened cheeks and his heartbeat raced with anticipation. Josh loved him. _Him._

In a matter of minutes, the cold was already biting into Tyler’s skin and his lips were beginning to coat themselves in tiny blankets of frost as he wrapped an arm around Josh’s shoulders and guided him through the snow.

//

Josh loved him. Josh loved _Tyler_ _. STOP,_ Tyler internally screamed, willing himself to quit replaying the moment at Frank’s party through his mind. Placing aspirin on the bedside table, he didn’t even attempt to suppress a smile as he looked down at Josh. Locks of pink hair looked prettier than ever resting upon his pillow, and tiny flakes of snow still shivered beside Josh’s closed eyelids.

Tyler wondered what was going through his sleeping mind, but however desperate he was to discover the true content of Josh’s thoughts, he felt more than satisfied after the party. Gently tucking his duvet up to Josh’s chin, Tyler thought back to his previous panicked state. Yet he needn’t worry anymore. Even though Josh had been drunk when he’d said it, Tyler was willing to take that bet. Josh loved him. And Tyler only had to wait until morning to find out what that truly meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO IT'S ALMOST TIME - WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK??? Hopefully you enjoyed it bc I rlly didn't wanna ruin this moment AH  
> Also thank you all for keeping reading this fic, honestly you guys are the best <3


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